Bibliography
Schertle, Alice. (2009). BUTTON UP!: WRINKLED RHYMES. Ill. by Petra Mathers. NY: Harcourt Children's Books. ISBN 9780152050504
Plot Summary
In this offbeat collection of poetry, Schertle amusingly wonders, “If clothes could talk, what would they say?” She picks articles of clothing that young children can easily relate to - from jammies and galoshes to soccer jerseys and dress-up clothes. Mathers adds an extra layer of playfulness to the lively text with her whimsical watercolor illustrations and adorable cast of critters.
Critical Analysis
Using kid-friendly language and rhyme, the fifteen poems in this collection merge beautifully as a whole because Schertle’s topic is one that is familiar to both children and adults. It’s easy to relate to a special hat, good-luck jersey, or favorite pair of jammies. Each of these individual poems also maintains its own distinct personality. This is due to the unique relationship between Schertle’s rhyming, kid-friendly language and Mathers’ animated watercolor illustrations. In Bertie’s Shoelaces, the rhyme is simple and easy-going – “Good old Bertie/ he lets us hang around/ It doesn’t bother Bertie/ when we drag along the ground.” Mathers enlivens the text by portraying the owner of the shoelaces as Bertie, an otter who is one cool dude complete with a Mohawk haircut, dark sunglasses, and pink tennis shoes. With imaginative detail, Mathers also includes other fanciful characters such as alligators, pigs, and ostriches throughout the book. Each one is hand-picked to best complement both the language and the mood of each individual poem.
The collection also contains a variety of different rhythms. There’s The Song of Harvey’s Galoshes whose musical beat fits perfectly to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know it.” Kids will especially enjoy joining in on the chorus of “Squash-galosh, squash-galosh, through the slime/ Squash-galosh, squash-galosh, bet a nickel, bet a dime.” In contrast, Bob’s Bicycle Helmet has a punchy staccato rhythm -“Bob’s on his bike/ and I’m on Bob/ I’m Bob’s helmet/ I’m on the job.”
In addition to rhythm and rhyme, Schertle also uses alliteration to make the poems even more appealing to readers. Alliteration is present in the individual topics of poems such as Joshua’s Jammies, Jack’s Jersey, Tonya’s T-shirt and Bill’s Blue Jacket. It can also be found within poems such as Clyde’s Costume which is “ghastly and ghoulish and ghostly.” Although it is used sparingly, this alliteration also helps to pull the poems together into a cohesive collection.
Schertle skillfully uses personification to bring each wrinkled article of clothing to life. Through each verse, she conveys human feelings and emotions. This is particularly evident in lines from Tanya’s Old T-Shirt – “I live in a bucket shoved under a stair/ They call me a dust rag!/ I don’t think it’s fair./ I’m still the same size as when I was new./ I didn’t shrink-/ it was Tanya who GREW." The imagery and tone of this poem reminds one of a young child who feels left out because he can’t do the same things as the “big kids” do. On the other hand, the sweatshirt in Hand-me-down Sweatshirt seems almost boastful when he proclaims, “I’m a hand-me-down sweatshirt/ with zipper and hood./ I’m everyone’s favorite/ and still looking good.”
Button Up! is an engaging collection of poetry for readers of any age because almost everyone can relate to the types of clothing in the poems whether it is a favorite hat or a snuggly, warm jacket. Youngsters might point to Harvey’s galoshes and say “Hey, I have some of those!” while the adult reading with them might reply, “I did too, when I was a kid.” Simply put, this is a delightfully entertaining book that should not to be missed.
Review Excerpts
Starred Review from Horn Book: "From delicately comical to downright funny, the art perfectly reflects the contagiously rhythmic, playful verse. Made for sharing, and worth learning by heart, too."
Starred Review from Booklist: "The whimsical illustrations pair perfectly with the wittiness of the text, and the whole is a clever and original poetic treat."
Connections - Language Arts/Art (grades 2 -4)
Invite children to create their own "wrinkled rhymes" about articles of clothing or other items that are important to them (i.e. baseball glove, ballet slippers). After the teacher/librarian has reviewed the concepts of rhyme, rhythm, personification, and onomotopeia, children can use this book as a guide in constructing their own poems.
To get started, the teacher/librarian should demonstrate how to select something that you care about - for example: baseball or dance. Then ask, "What item do you like best or is the most important?" It may be a baseball glove, lucky jersey, jazz shoes or a pink tutu. Show children how to brainstorm to identify related actions, feelings, and thoughts (think about the Five Senses). For a baseball glove: smooth, worn feel of the leather, the smacking sound the ball makes when it's caught, the cheering crowd, etc... For a pink tutu: twirling, standing on tip-toes, butterflies in stomach, etc...
To illustrate the poem, children might be interested in portraying themselves as animals like the owners of the clothing in Button Up! More animal characters can be found in these books written and illustrated by Mathers:
LOTTIE'S NEW FRIEND. ISBN 0689820143
A CAKE FOR HERBIE. ISBN 0689830173
LOTTIE'S NEW BEACH TOWEL. ISBN 068944417
HERBIE'S SECRET SANTA. ISBN 0689835507
By other authors, but illustrated by Mathers:
Martin, Fran. SOPHIE AND LOU. ISBN 0689844751
Prelutsky, Jack. IN AUNT GIRAFFE'S GREEN GARDEN. ISBN 0066238684
Prelutsky, Jack. THE FROGS WORE RED SUSPENDERS. ISBN 006073776X
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