Willie's class is earning play money for a month; the one with the most money wins tickets to the circus. Everyone has fancy piggy banks in different shapes but Willie's father proudly gives him an alkansiya, an empty coconut shell with a slit for the money. Willie is embarrassed especially when bully Stan teases him about it. But Willie hangs on to his father's promise that there is something special inside the alkansiya. At the end of the month, Willie breaks his bank. Not only has he earned the most money but the surprise inside is a 1964 Willie Mays baseball card, an item treasured by his father and passed down.

I really enjoyed this story. Willie is a young boy who is a part of a baseball team. He is an average baseball player and is given a hard time by his team/classmate Stan. Stan is a bit of a bully towards Willie. He is given a school assigment of bringing in a bank to class. Wille explains the assignment to his father, the student with the most play money by the end of the month is rewarded with a ticket to the circus. Willie's dad decides to give his son an old coconut shell, known as an alkansiya. His father explains the coconut shell to his son and lets him know that he placed a treasure in the coconut. His father explains how he got the treasure and that he wanted to save it for his child so he placed it inside of the coconut. Willie works hard and learns to stand of for himself at school against Stan's insults. Willie learns about himself, his father and his heritage.
Great for students of different cultures who may have different customs. It may help them to relate to the story, if they are self-conscious about their cultural differences. ( )