BUTTON UP!

BUTTON UP!

Wrinkled Rhymes by Alice Schertle

Pictures by Petra Mathers

Image credit: books.google.com

Bibliography:

Schertle, Alice. 2009. Button Up! Ill. by Petra Mathers.  New York: Harcourt Children's Books. ISBN 9780152050504

Critical Analysis and Review:

The 2010 winner of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry award, Button Up! is a delightful themed collection of poetry.  Alice Schertle's poems are each written from the perspective of a different article of clothing.  With this clever premise, Schertle's poems feature a hiking hat, galoshes, jammies, a bicycle helmet, and more explaining their adventures and various uses.

Schertle expertly utilizes several elements of poetry such as rhyme and personification.  Onomatopoeia is displayed in "The Song of Harvey's Galoshes," as his wet shoes make the sound, "Squash-galosh, squash-galosh."  In "Clyde's Costume," Schertle uses alliteration when the costume is described as "ghastly and ghoulish and ghostly."  Repetition is also utilized throughout Schertle's poetry like in "Bill's Blue Jacket" which repeats the title phrase, "Button up! Button up! Button up/ TIGHT!"

Petra Mathers creates watercolor illustrations to match the text of each poem.  Brightly colored animals don the articles of clothing mentioned in each poem.  A favorite page is the ostrich who is uncomfortably wearing "Rick's Wool Sweater" scrunched up along his long neck.  The small mouse peering up at "Emily's Undies" hanging on a clothes lines is another adorable image.

Spotlight Poem:

VIOLET'S HIKING HAT

by Alice Schertle

I am Violet's hiking hat.

I live on Violet's head.

"I NEVER take off my hiking hat,"

Violet said.

I'm taking a hike with Violet.

Violet's showing me things. 

"Hat," says Violet, "there's a caboose.

These are butterfly wings."

"Hat," says Violet, "here's a rock.

These are the monkey bars."

Violet takes me out at night.

"Look," says Violet. "Stars."

Here in the bathtub with Violet

we're having a storm at sea--

a whale, a rabbit, a submarine,

a bucket, a duck, and me.

I am going to sleep with Violet

in Violet's race car bed,

on Violet's panda bear pillow.

"Good night, Hat," Violet said.

This poem shows off Schertle's style of using rhyming text and short stanzas.  Told from the point of view of a hiking hat, this poem offers a unique type of mentor text for young writers.  In a classroom or library lesson, I would challenge young poets to write a poem from the point of view of a favorite article of clothing.  I think most children will be able to think of a favorite hat, sweatshirt, or pair of shoes that they really love.  Then, they could brainstorm by jotting down a list of places they have worn that item.  Using the list, they could try to write a clothing poem in the style of Alice Schertle.