Book Review: Button Up!: Wrinkled Rhymes

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Schertle, Alice. 2009. BUTTON UP!: WRINKLED RHYMES. Ill. by Petra Mathers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0152050507

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In a zany collection of animals-with-clothing poetry, author Alice Schertle gives children an interesting read about how clothing and personality can work together. Each poem throughout the book centers on an animal who has been paired with a piece of clothing, such as Violet’s Hiking Hat, Bertie’s Shoelaces, and Clyde’s Costume, who, in a fun twist, double as the book’s narrators. Together, each animal/clothing pair has a story to tell, and they do so through a lively combination of simple-but-engaging poetry and beautiful illustrations.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
One of the first things to note about this title is that the poetry is very kid-friendly. Rhyme schemes typically follow the ABAB and AABB formats (i.e., “Good old Bertie,/ he lets us hang around./ It doesn’t bother Bertie,/ when we drag along the ground.”), and the vocabulary in each is quite accessible. The animals and clothing have a symbiotic relationship as far as characterization is concerned; Violet’s hat is interesting because she’s wearing it, and Violet herself is interesting because the hiking hat gives her something to do. Each of the poems is simple, but engaging, and although the book could be criticized for being a tad repetitive in its format, it rarely drags. Each animal/clothing pairing is carefully chosen, and for the most part, they work well for generating narrative-style poetry.

Artistically, illustrator Petra Mathers does a phenomenal job giving this book its own unique feel, using a style of art that, while firmly based in pencil and water-color, almost looks like a collage. Each of the animals exudes personality, and each piece of clothing has been drawn to practically be a character unto itself. Given the narrative style of BUTTON UP, the illustrations are tasked with telling a large part of the story. Fortunately, they do not disappoint; Mathers’ art is always vivacious, and there are often several pictures per page. The font, which resembles legible handwriting, is truly appropriate for the text, leading the reader’s eye through an engaging layout that hops freely around the page.

For its intended audience (K-2), a teacher could ask for little more than a volume of poetry this lively and well-written. The poems themselves are a pleasure to read, and the vocabulary is for the most part grade appropriate. Every character/clothing combination is simultaneously engaging and memorable, despite only being given one page each. Easy to recommend and difficult to dislike, BUTTON UP is a worthy part of any early elementary poetry library.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
HORN BOOK starred review: “The art perfectly reflects the contagiously rhythmic, playful verse.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL starred review: "Playful spreads and spot art suit the snappy verses beautifully."
BOOKLIST starred review: "The whole is a clever and original poetic treat."

5. CONNECTIONS
*This book is a perfect companion for theatre arts activities involving characterization through clothing, and other exercises involving the relationship between costume and character.
*Other books of fun and humorous animal poetry:
Hollander, John. POETRY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: ANIMAL POEMS.. ISBN 1402709269
Carle, Eric. ERIC CARLE’S ANIMALS ANIMALS. ISBN 0698118553
Prelutsky, Jack. THE CARNIVAL OF ANIMALS. ISBN 037586458X