Michelle Olson - Norman - Norman the Button
Kirkus Reviews' Best Books Of 2018

Norman - Norman the Button

Formats: E-Book, Paperback, Hardback

Ages: 5-8

Norman the Button loves his job keeping his person’s coat closed, but lately, he’s only been hanging on by a thread. After falling off, Norman is convinced he must find a new job to feel needed again. But after several failures, Norman almost decides to give up and let himself be recycled. Once Norman realizes his greatest strength is in being a button, he finally sees the perfect job is right in front of him.

Reviews

An errant button searches for a new purpose in life in this clever kids’ book from debut author/illustrator Olson and photographer Kester. Olson chronicles the adventures of Norman, a red button with huge, illustrated eyes and copper-wire limbs. After Norman is pulled from a coat, he considers new jobs he might hold—a superhero, a photographer, a firefighter, a plumber, and a dog walker—before finally realizing that buttons are best at being attached to something else, like the nose of a teddy bear. The idea of a button fulfilling other jobs is humorous in itself; Olson’s illustrations take the joke to its fullest extent, with poor, flammable Norman running away from a campfire, for instance, or getting dragged through the mud at the end of a dog’s leash. Norman’s own button’s-eye-view photographs go unappreciated in the story itself, but the manipulated photos by Olson and Kester are sure to be a hit; the compositions highlight the silliness of each concept and reveal Norman to be a lovable hero. Olson’s short, accessible sentences, peppered with button-centric turns of phrase (“well-rounded individual,” “hanging on...by a thread”) will delight independent readers and adults reading to youngsters. A funny, pun-heavy title about finding your purpose by embracing your talents.

Kirkus Reviews