Button Up!: Wrinkled Rhymes by Alice Schertle

Bibliography

Schertle, Alice. BUTTON UP!: WRINKLED RHYMES. New York: Harcourt Children’s Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-15-205050-4

Plot Summary

This series of poem by Alice Schertle gives a voice to the clothes of animals. When does Harvey wear his galoshes? How does Bob’s helmet protect him and get used while he rides his bike? The poems are funny and easy to read. The illustrations done by Petra Mathers are very nice in that they give good human qualities to these animals. Wanda is shown doing cannonballs into the water in her swimsuit and Jack is wearing his soccer jersey while making goals and kicking the ball. Schertle opens a world of creatures to a human-like existence through the simple act of putting on their clothes.

Critical Analysis

This book is funny and charming. Designed for kindergarten to second grade, the drawings make the animals lifelike, not cartoonish. Schertle shows great care for these animals, carefully picking their articles of clothing and writing a sharp and sweet poem around each. While the poems are not thought provoking, they do provide younger readers a group of characters they could easily relate to. Just like them, they have a favorite tshirt, a hat, a bicycle helmet. The careful words and lovely illustrations make this book of poetry enjoyable to all readers.

Review Excerpts
". . . these creatures have personality, exuberance and high style that perfectly match the verses. Loads of fun."--Kirkus, starred review

"From delicately comical to downright funny, the art perfectly reflects the contagiously rhythmic, playful verse. Made for sharing, and worth learning by heart, too."--Horn Book, starred review

". . . these poems will give readers a new perspective on getting dressed . . . Playful spreads and spot art suit the small, snappy verses beautifully. This whimsical little volume will make a delightful addition to poetry collections."--School Library Journal, starred review

"The whimsical illustrations pair perfectly with the wittiness of the text, and the whole is a clever and original poetic treat."--Booklist, starred review

“. . . enjoyable sound effects . . . Tone varies from sturdy support of ‘Bob’s Bicycle Helmet’ . . . to the playfulness of ‘Wanda’s Swimsuit . . . the extraordinary precision of Mather’s [sic] delicate brush strokes result in collagelike textures and crisp solidity . . . sure to tickle youngsters.”--The Bulletin

"Here's a match made in children's-book Heaven: esteemed poet Schertle (All You Need for a Snowman) and Mathers, the artist behind the Lottie's World (the charming chicken) books . . . Full of surprises, perhaps a sniffle, and plenty of cheer ("Everybody clap your hands,/ everybody shout,/ Bill's got his jacket on,/ LET'S GO OUT!"), this one will be in constant demand."--PW Shelf Awareness

Connections

• Read the story aloud to the group, but change the names of the various animals to children listening to the story. Have a bag of clothing items that are listed in the book. Give it to the child whose name you pick for that story and have them wear it.
• Have children write a poem about what they think their pet’s favorite clothing item would be if they wore clothes. Would their poodle carry a parasol? Would their cat wear a cap? Then draw pictures of the animals wearing these items.