Review for "Button Up!"

Bibliography: Schertle, Alice; Ill. Mathers, Petra. 2009. Button Up! New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. ISBN: 978-0-15-205050-4

Critical Analysis

If you enjoy, or have a child that enjoys the personification of clothing, then this poetry book may be for you! Every poem is told from the perspective of a piece of clothing, and the accompanying pictures anthropomorphize animal characters wearing the clothing. These two factors add whimsy and silliness to the poems.

The sing-songy poems are full of playful end-rhymes, and onomatopoeia, which give the reader the feel of the experience. Consider the following poem, which contains a rhyme scheme and beat reminiscent of "London Bridge is Falling Down."

"The Song of Harvey's Galoshes

When it's raining Harvey always puts us on,
puts us on,
we're together when the sunny weather's gone,
weather's gone,
O there's mud up to our tops,
we hope Harvey never stops
making deep, wet footprints in the lawn,
in the lawn.

Sqash-galosh, squash-galosh, through the slime,
Squash-galosh, squash-galosh, bet a nickel, bet a dime . . ."

While the italicized words help the reader with the intended emphasis and beat of the poem, the accompanying picture, in acrylic, shows a pig splashing joyfully. I believe these poems have the potential to delight young readers, but I am not sure that youngsters are as interested in the possible perspectives of their clothing as they are when it comes to their toys. Although this is a more original idea, it may fall flat with children.


Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: Playful spreads and spot art suit the small, snappy verses beautifully. This whimsical little volume will make a delightful addition to poetry collections.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: This is a collection for younger listeners, sporting pared-down language, short lines, and touches of enjoyable sound effects (“Squash- galosh, squash- galosh, through the slime” go Harvey’s galoshes), and the experiences of the clothes and their wearers will ring true to kids.

Awards
Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award recipient: 2010

Connections

Have readers choose an article of clothing from their closet to write a poem about, from the perspective of the article of clothing. Lead the readers through a short imaginary meditation, in which they imagine what the perspective of the article is. Encourage them to write spontaneously following the meditation, while touching and looking at their article of clothing as often as possible.