Button and Bundle
MCLELLAN, Gretchen.. illus. by Gillian Flint.
32p. Knopf. Feb. 2019.
ISBN 9781524766689
K-Gr 2
VERDICT A great choice for any collection, this story offers comfort and solace to any young reader who has experienced the sadness of moving and separation, while simultaneously offering a sense of hope that distance doesn’t mean they’ve completely lost a friendship and that there are always opportunities to find new friends.–Kaitlin Malixi, Kensington Health Sciences Academy, Philadelphia, May 23, 2019
Button and Bundle are best friends who love to play with dolls and sing together. In fact, even the girls’ dolls are besties. One day, they learn that Button must move and the girls are deeply saddened. After arriving at her new home, a balloon arrives on the wind and Bundle ties a basket to it, sending her doll back to her friend, envisioning the joy it would bring her friend despite their distance. Gorgeous watercolor and pastel illustrations float across the page, including a ribbon of yellow and pink appearing in the sky, mimicking the movement of not only the balloon carrying the gifted doll, but also the song that connects the girls in spite of their separation. Button even teaches her new friend Leah the song and imagines it wafting to Bundle through the air. Small details in the background, such as a hand-drawn image of the girls playing taped to the wall, or small daisies the friends picked together really give the story depth. The feelings expressed by the characters are both real and relatable.