From: Angela Reynolds <angelar>
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2000 13:08:01 -0800

I too am quite fond of "Because of Winn-Dixie" and "Joey Pigza"-- especially Joey, as this is the one book that I've read this year that really evoked an emotional response. I felt so sorry for the dog, and for Joey who was getting on the right track and then Bang, his crazy family situation smacks him once again. "Winn Dixie" is a wonderful portrait of a small Southern town- the characters were fun to become acquainted with.

But a book I haven't heard much about, that I really adore, is "Buttons", by Brock Cole (FS & G, 2000). And though it is a picture book, it is not the drawings that wow me. Though they are fun, and they make a good compliment to the story, it is the writing that is the real jewel in this book. I felt as though I were reading a very old tale: Cole takes the formula for a standard fairy tale and turns it into an original, well-crafted story. While an odd tale, it is so well written that you don't realize that the story is unusual; the language is joyful and frolicking, like the illustrations. I love the characters, and the clever(?) way that the youngest daughter goes about finding her buttons,
(and her man). I found this to be a story all about doing things your own way, even if others may frown upon it-- creativity is heralded as the most efficient method of solving the problem.

Hurrah for Brock Cole. I love this book!


Angela J. Reynolds Youth Services Librarian Washington County Cooperative Library Services 111 NE Lincoln St. MS 58A Hillsboro, OR 97124036 503F694 fax: 503a5f01 angelar at wccls.lib.or.us

"No talent is truly wasted unless its owner decides to hide it in a napkin." Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Received on Wed 06 Dec 2000 03:08:01 PM CST