Until Carlos' mom finds another job, she can only afford a small dingy apartment for the two of them to live in. Carlos tries to brighten it up, first by painting leaves on a crack in the wall to make it look like a tree branch, then by placing shining stars made out of gum wrappers on the branch. But each day his mom returns from her job hunt so exhausted that she never notices Carlos' handiwork. A realistic story about one child's attempts to cheer up a discouraged parent in a time of stress has a completely unpredictable surprise ending. (Ages 4-8)

Carlos and his mother have just moved into a small dusty apartment. I'll find another job' his mother sighs, ' we won't have to live here for long.' But what really worries Carlos is a long black crack in the wall which frightens him at night. With love and imagination, Carlos decides to transform the ugly crack into something beautiful for his mother with truly magical results. F/c illustrations. Ages 4-10.'