Billy is a six year old Negro boy whose parents live in a small, dark, dreary apartment in a tenement and who would like to be able to move to a house with a yard. Their problems, while somewhat simplified for the beginning reader, are presented realistically and sympathetically. When Billy's best friend started playing in the streets and was hurt by a car, Billy's parents were determined to move. Billy went with his father to look at houses, and the first place they liked was refused to them because of their color. Eventually they found a rundown house with a large yard and a cooperative owner. Billy's father, a house painter, used his talents to start renovating the house. The neighbors became impressed and finally pitched in to help finish the job. Simple, satisfying, and easy to read.