This fictional story gives a history of America through the lens of the changes in a corner store in New York City. It started out as a barbershop in 1800 opened by Oskar (later changed to Oscar) Nowicki, a Polish immigrant. He sold the store which became a woman’s clothing store. When the Great Depression hit in 1929, the store became a soup kitchen. During World War II, it was an army recruitment office. And so the story continued, with the building reflecting changes in history until 1999, when the building was torn down so that luxury apartments could be erected.

On the morning the bulldozers arrived, a young woman watching introduced herself to the crowd; she was Oscar’s great-granddaughter.

Illustrations by Kristen and Kevin Howdeshell carefully include historical details. ( )