He Comes Up Smiling

"He Comes Up Smiling" by Charles Sherman is a story set in the early 1900s about a band of homeless people, mostly about the Watermelon. He goes through funny times while wanting to be liked and feel good, all while struggling with being poor. The story is funny and talks about who we are, how society separates people based on money, and how weird the "rules" of society can be. The book starts with a funny talk between the Watermelon, James, and Mike while they are relaxing under a tree. They joke about a fake beauty contest, showing they don't take themselves too seriously. The Watermelon talks about wanting to dress up nicely to look better in town, which shows he wants to improve himself. These conversations about beauty contests make you think about what is important and how we see ourselves, while also making the reader laugh to show a world where people are just trying to get by in life.