When Ben buys a bag of licorice for just one nickel, he gets more than just a sweet treat. His search for the end of this long, long licorice rope takes him around the world. Ben is trailed by the enterprising candy seller who always shows up just in time to offer Ben help in overcoming the latest obstacle. For a mere nickel, Ben can have a hot air balloon to cross the ocean, snowshoes to plod through a snowstorm, a camel to scale a pyramid, or anything else he might need. But when Ben meets a friend at the other end of the rope, the two remind their sly prankster that friends are always free.

Matt Myers takes an ordinary experience and expands it into pictures and text with kid-centered humor.