Lee Bennet Hopkins Poetry Award Recipient: Button Up!

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Schertle, Alice. (2009). Button up! Wrinkled rhymes. Ill. by Petra Mathers. Orlando, FL: Harcourt. ISBN 9780152050504

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Button Up! Wrinkled Rhymes by Alice Schertle presents 15 poems about clothes. Each poem features one article of clothing and the name of a critter that dons it. Schertle uses a predictable rhyme scheme that creates a playful and energetic tone.

While the rhyme keeps the poems mostly upbeat, the poems vary in mood. Most articles of clothing—jerseys, hiking hats, jammies—are proud to be worn and love their owners. About halfway through the book, however, a single poem of bitterness and despair (“Tanya’s Old Shirt”, p. 18), tells how a shirt feels when its owner outgrows it. The mood is quickly lightened back up with poems about swimsuits, Halloween costumes, and a hand-me-down sweatshirt.

Schertle uses literal language to paint a picture of events as told by the clothing. Schertle uses sound words like “Squash—galosh” in “The Song of Harvey’s Galoshes” (p. 9) to mix in some sound effects. Schertle’s descriptions of the adventures on which the garments go give the reader a clear picture of the relationship between a creature and his or her attire.

With the inclusion of several poetic forms such as quatrains of the poems and spirited rhyme, Button Up! will hold readers’ attention. Young children seem to have a favorite garment that makes the task of getting dressed the most special. Readers will be quite entertained by the clothing’s unusual viewpoint.

The poet also manipulates the font type to indicate difference in dynamics: larger, bolder letters indicate the reader shout the word or phrase. Italicized words and phrases require some form of emphasis—whether in volume or stress of each syllable.

Schertle uses funky phrasing to describe some garments, adding in puns. For example, “Bertie’s Shoelaces” (p.4) are described as “not up tight”, as in not tied up tight. The way the poet words this line creates an image of a laid-back guy with his relaxed laces. The silliness of such poems stimulates enjoyment among even older readers.

Because Schertle chose to write about such a basic topic as clothing, readers should be inspired to write about common, familiar items from the perspective of the inanimate object. The quality of the poems is consistent throughout the book, acting as a guide for those who dare to create their own verses.

This particular piece is a recipient of the 2010 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award.

The two-page spread arrangement prominently features a single poem, making it the most important at the time. Petra Mathers’ watercolor illustrations perfectly accompany the poem and the highlighted article of clothing.

Schertle provides easy access to specific poems with a page-numbered table of contents found at the front.

No matter their age, children will love the crazy ideas and thoughts Schertle shares via numerous animals’ clothing.

POETRY SPOTLIGHT

“Tanya’s Old Shirt” (p. 18)

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.

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, not ever

hear anyone say,

“She’s gotten too big, she’s just in the way,

let’s dust the piano with Tanya today.”

As a dramatic way to present this poem to the class, display a bucket with a shirt hanging out of it (see the illustration in the book). The single voice that reads the poem should not be the center of attention—it should be the bucket. Standing off to the side or behind students, read the poem with all the emphasis and emotion Schertle incorporates through text modifications.

Show and describe the book to the whole class. Challenge them to think of an inanimate object they use daily—crayons, sunglasses, toothbrush, spoon, etc. Rather than writing a poem from the perspective of this object, write a diary entry or letter to the user describing the object’s feelings toward the user. For example, the toothbrush could write to its user to persuade him or her to limit the amount of candy eaten or encourage flossing. A pair of sunglasses may write in its diary how it wishes it could see what “inside” was like since it only gets to see “outside.”

Allow readers to share their diary entries and letters. Encourage students to have fun with the activity—be silly, be totally unrealistic, be descriptive!