Subtitled ``A Walk Through the History of Footwear,'' this is an extensive and sometimes funky history of shoes. Lawlor (George on His Own, 1993, etc.) states, ``More than any other personal belonging, shoes reveal a great deal about how each of us lives, works, and plays.'' She describes seven traditional styles (sandal, boot, oxford, pump, clog, mule, and moccasin) and all sorts of uses (protection, show of authority, status, fashion, milestones). In addition, shoes have always played an important role in myth and literature--from Cinderella's glass slippers and Dorothy's ruby-red shoes to the old woman who lived in a shoe. Readers will learn not only about the first shoes that ever existed, but also other tidbits: Michael Jordan wears a different pair of shoes every evening, and the brand name ``Keds'' is a combination of ``kids'' and ``peds.'' The black-and-white drawings, photographs, and reproductions will interest readers, especially shots of Elton John's five-inch rhinestone platform shoes and an Austrian orphan's joy over the new pair of shoes that arrived as part of a post-war relief effort. Whimsical and informative. (maps, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10+)
