Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Traveling the World by a Balloon



Title: Bun Bun Button
Author:  Patricia Polacco
Illustrator: Patricia Polacco
Published: Putnam Juvenile
Copyright:  2011
Pages: 40
Category:  Children

I chose this book because my children literature teacher did a read aloud story on one of Patricia Polacco books.  The author is becoming one of my favorites along with David Shannon and Maya Angelou. The book is about a little girl named Paige Elizabeth Darling, who loves her Gramma. They baked cookies, made the beds, and feed the cats and dogs. After finishing they sat in the Old Blue Chair. Everybody loves the chair from the kittens to the goldfish. One day Paige thought everyone had a toy to hold while sitting in the chair, and she didn’t. Gramma decides to make her a stuff bunny, and Paige names her Bun Bun Button.  Bun Bun Button went everywhere with Paige, until one day Gramma bought a big red balloon filled with helium. While outside playing the string got caught on a privet hedge and came untied causing the balloon to float up in the sky. Paige cried all night long, while Bun Bun Button was on a great adventure sailing the night sky, getting caught on a goose foot, landing on the back of a seagull and falling on a willow tree limb.  A squirrel finds Bun Bun and took her to Gramma, who sewed her up and made her new again. Gramma places her on Paige bed. That night they sipped mint tea and ate soft sand cookies in the Old Blue Chair together.

The illustrations in this book are done in detail with pencils and markers. Each of the illustrations shows expressionist, realist, and impressionistic drawing the reader into the book. The way the text is written the reader can see the bond between the grandmother, granddaughter, and pets.

I would recommend this book for kindergarten through third grade, it is a great book that shows character education in caring as a family. It would also be a good book for a read aloud, show and tell with favorite stuffed animal, and Patricia Polacco fans. Ask the children what they do when they go to their grandma house. What colors are the balloons and which one did Bun Bun Button fly away on. Use it in math to count all the animals that lived with Gramma and the balloons. Ask how far the students think Bun Bun Button traveled from his owner. This book has no awards.

























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