Button and Popper Book Review

Button and Popper
By Oili Tanninen
New translation/publication: September 2019 (originally published in 1964)

Son's Review:
(Age: 4)
What it's about:
It's about two pixies finding a new home and succeeding.  The pixies can't find a home, but Button and Popper do. They're the most main kids. In fact, they're what the book's about.

Favorite parts:
Well, my favorite thing was how they got a new home in the end, and they all lived happy.

How he felt:
Awesome, because I've never read about pixies.

What he would have done:
I would say, "You could live with us. Some upstairs and some downstairs, like a little hotel."

Questions T posed:
Son: Why do you think that they leave their home in winter?
Mom: It's too cold to stay in the apple tree.
Son: Why don't all the pixies go look for a home?
Mom: Maybe because Button and Popper want to give it one more try.
Son: Or maybe the first expedition was together, and they found a place where someone said they'd be long gone, but they changed it because of the weather.

Mom's Review:
The re-release of Button and Popper has been hailed as timely and particularly relevant in today's cultural climate. I have to agree. Button and Popper are two of twelve pixie children living with their parents in an apple tree. As winter approaches, and their living situation becomes untenable, the family struggles to find a new, safe residence. Everywhere they turn, they are turned away because of their family's size. It is finally through a fortuitous accident that they are invited by a homeowner to occupy his house while he is gone for the winter. A tale of hard-hearted onlookers and one compassionate logical thinker, Button and Popper drives home the message that those in need should be aided and that those who can help have no reason not to.

Mid-century style is to my taste, and the art in Button and Popper is delightful. The two pixies' journey to find a home after their parents fail is sweet, heartfelt, and a bit exciting. But it is the underlying lessons of acceptance, compassion, and aide that allow this classic to stand the test of time.


Note: Thames and Hudson provided a review copy in exchange for an honest review.