Customer Reviews

Button Up!: Wrinkled Rhymes

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There are all kinds of pieces of clothing that people or critters wear that seem to have a life of their own. They even have stinky sneaker contests for those really unique pieces of footwear. Pee yew! Everyone has something they own that is very distinctive and all their own. In this book fifteen critters give us a glance at what might be their favorite article of clothing and Alice Schertle just happens to describe each of them in a fun and very unique rhyme! From Bertie's shoelaces to Emily's undies and Bill's blue jacket you'll probably recognize at least one thing you or someone you know treasures (but on one else does!).

Tanya's OLD T-SHIRT

I live in a bucket shoved under a stair.
They call me dustrag!
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.

She started out small and we fit to a T.
Now she's big as a sofa!
She's tall as a tree!
She's out of control, and they're dusting with me!

You'll never, now ever,
hear anyone say,
"She's gotten too big, she's just in the way,
let's dust the piano with Tanya today."

These poems are lots of fun and have just the right panache and rhythm little ones love. The art work, needless to say, catches and matches the mood of each poem. These poems would be perfect bedtime fare or would be a lot of fun to recite during circle time. If you have an expressive reading voice, these poems will take on a life of their own and your little audience will love them!

The poems are catchy and clever rhymes, each one about a different animal wearing a different article of clothing. My 4 1/2 year old daughter enjoys hearing "Tonya's Old Tee Shirt" about a bear's tee shirt that is now used as a dust rag. I like "Wanda's bathing suit" about a rabbit who likes to get herself and her suit wet, along with everyone around them. The illustrations are cute and vivid. You can read the book cover to cover or select a rhyme or two per sitting and either way it's great.

I reviewed this for a graduate class on children's literature, and found it to be a fun read! My kindergartener loved it too! Award-winning poet Alice Schertle has come up with a generally delightful compilation of poems centered on the topic of clothing. The clothes are the central focus in this collection, and each poem is written from the particular clothes' point of view. The articles of clothing are worn by adorable little animals such as a galoshes-wearing pig, an underwear-wearing mouse, a pajama-clad alligator, a dog wearing a soccer jersey, and many more. Children will relate easily to these characters and the articles of clothing they are wearing as many of them wear these clothes in daily life and in a variety of activities. The illustrations by Petra Mathers are colorful and fun which further enhance the listening and reading experience.

The language used is also easily accessible to young children and what makes this collection of poems particularly appealing is the variety used in the verse. There are rhyming verses, e.g. "Jack does the running, I do the showing - number 6 coming, number 6 going" in Jack's Soccer Jersey. There are also many instances of free verse, e.g. "Ready, set, jump! Scrunch up small - Look out down below - in Wanda's Swimsuit. Mostly, this blend of free and rhyming verses work, but there are instances where it feels forced such as in Jamelia's Dress-Up Clothes which ends with a rather abrupt "Jamelia wears us all at one. We're her dress-up clothes."

Some of the verses have an infectious beat that encourages audience participation which is always a great feature to have in poetry especially in reading aloud sessions with young children. One of the best examples in this book would be the poem, The Song of Harvey's Galoshes which has features of assonance, e.g.
"Squash-galosh, squash-galosh, through the slime,
Squash-galosh, squash-galosh, bet a nickel, bet a dime."
`Emily shows us wherever she goes" in Emily's Undies will elicit giggles from many children who will recognize themselves in the precocious Emily the mouse, but the poems are not all laugh out loud funny. There is one poignant poem titled Tanya's Old T-Shirt which is the lament of an old, discarded t-shirt, bemoaning its fate as a rag. This is so reminiscent of childhood where children outgrow their clothes and will strike a chord with listeners. Children will love listening to and reading these poems about their favorite articles of clothing as represented by the diverse variety in this collection of poems.

My four year old son loves this book - we have read it countless times. The nursery rhymes are so clever and gets the biggest laugh from the Emily's Undies rhyme every time we read this book!

A cast of animals take the stage for a lighthearted collection of poetry about clothes, from galoshes to undies to jammies; but not to forget swimsuit or sweatshirt. This humorous and fun-loving look at our every day costumes will be delightful for children ages 4-7.