"Until he saw a sign for the
world's longest licorice rope.
And it only cost a nickel!
"Just how long is it?" Ben asked.
"How long is the world?'
a girl said."
One nickel is all Ben needs to set him off on an imaginative travel adventure. Ben has earned a number of nickels, taking all of them with him when he visits the community treat fair. His choices for spending seem endless: wrapped candy, Santa candy, instant soup and the water he needs to make it, day-old pizza, Halloween candy, cinnamon toast, melted snow cones, mud pies. It isn't until he comes to the booth selling the world's longest licorice rope that Ben shows interest. He wonders about its length.
The seller, a young girl with a jaunty hat, has her own question.
"How long is the world?"
a girl said."
His hunger and curiosity put the licorice in his mouth and move his feet forward ... until he comes to a river where the same girl has a boat to rent for one nickel. As they make their way around the world, the young entrepreneur manages to provide what Ben needs to get out of any scrapes he encounters. How lucky is that? Will the odyssey come to an end before Ben runs out of the nickels that manage to keep him moving on? Will he have to stop because of the fatigue created by his constant chewing on the licorice rope?
Meeting Jimmy, who has the other end of the licorice rope in his mouth, presents a real problem. Or does it? Filled with action, humor, and surprise, with illustrations created using watercolor dyes and ink, Matt Myers has penned a tremendously appealing story sure to entertain young readers.
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