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Summary
Summary
A delightful tale of serendipity
On the first day of spring, Mrs. Moffatt buys a new coat. It is so red it makes her happy, and she doesn't even notice when one of its shiny brass buttons comes loose. The button begins a secret, surprising journey around the neighborhood -- traveling from bush to bird's nest and beyond -- until it finds its way home to Mrs. Moffatt and to her neighbor, Mr. Peterson, both of whom have shared an adventure all their own.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3Two parallel stories are rolled into one in this satisfying picture book. The first follows the adventures of a large brass button that is accidentally pulled off Mrs. Moffatt's beautiful new red coat; the second describes the romance that develops between Mrs. Moffatt and her recently widowed neighbor, Mr. Peterson. The button travels around the neighborhood from early spring until late autumn; it rolls under a bush, is swept down a rain-filled gully, goes from one house to another in a backpack, and is flown into a crow's nest. The autumn winds finally bring it back to its starting point, on Mr. Peterson's sidewalk. Meanwhile, Mrs. Moffatt and Mr. Peterson become better acquainted through frequent and interesting conversations over good meals. It is heartening to watch these two older people fall in love as their interests and their respect for one another bring them closer together. The story culminates in a joyful wedding. The design of the book is especially appealing, with short chapters and varied layouts of text and artwork. The full-page, gouache paintings are richly colored and the smaller illustrations, framing the text on the opposite page, show interesting details about the community in which the couple lives, as well as the many good hiding places for the traveling button. A charming story for the young at heart to share with the young.Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski, VT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
One spring day, a button falls off Mrs. Moffatt's new red wool coat and lands in the raspberry bushes of her neighbor, Mr. Peterson. The loss goes unnoticed, the coat is put away and, as the friendship between the widow and widower grows, the button begins a serendipitous circuit of the neighborhoodpicked up by a schoolgirl, worn to the beach in summer as swimsuit adornment, carried by a crow to a nest near its starting placearriving back on Mr. Peterson's garden path the day Mrs. Moffatt accepts his proposal, and just as her coat is needed again for winter. Divided into 10 chapters, Dragonwagon's (Home Place) story is neatly told and has a satisfying circularity to it, although the pacing lags as the outcome becomes increasingly obvious. Paradise elaborates on the tale's inherent sweetness, crafting a cozy if white-bread world of picket fences, broad sidewalks and verdant gardens all captured in color-drenched gouaches. Perhaps in homage to Mr. Peterson's career as an architect, she paints many of her compositions in the shape of architectural details (e.g., columns or arches surrounding the text, a panel shaped like an altarpiece to face the description of Mr. Peterson and Mrs. Moffatt's wedding). The effect comes to seem a little manneredwhich is, after all, in keeping with the highly tailored story. Ages 5-9. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
This story about two retired neighbors contains a subplot about a lost button that travels around the neighborhood via rain, animals, and kids, only to be found a year later by its rightful owner. The button's journey is intriguing, but young readers will find the neighbors' blooming romance tedious and slow. Detailed gouache paintings illustrate the chapters in this lengthy picture book. From HORN BOOK 1997, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Ages 5^-8. Mrs. Moffatt has a new red coat with bright, shiny buttons. She wears it to Mr. Peterson's house, where, unbeknownst to her, a button falls off. So begins a winding tale in which the button finds itself in the hands of various owners and, finally, in a crow's nest. Months later, the button is blown to the ground on Mr. Peterson's walk. Mrs. Moffatt, who has just taken her coat out for the winter, arrives at Mr. Peterson's and notices the missing button. Thinking it has just been dropped, Mr. Peterson recovers it. Children like stories in which an object passes from one hand to another, but not much happens to the button (it goes from backpack to accessory on a bathing suit to the crow); and whether children will be interested in the burgeoning romance between the elderly Mrs. Moffatt and Mr. Peterson remains to be seen. Paradise's watercolors are inventive, using arches, columns, and other design elements to show what is happening with the button, while also portraying what is happening with Mrs. Moffatt and Mr. Peterson. The long text makes this most appropriate for a primary-grade audience. --Ilene Cooper