The Memory String

by Eve Bunting, Ted Rand (Illustrator)

Each button on Laura’s memory string represents a piece of her family history. The buttons Laura cherishes the most belonged to her mother—a button from her prom dress, a white one off her wedding dress, and a single small button from the nightgown she was wearing on the day she died. When the string breaks, Laura’s new stepmother, Jane, is there to comfort Laura and search for a missing button, just as Laura’s mother would have done. But it’s not the same—Jane isn’t Mom. In Eve Bunting’s moving story, beautifully illustrated by Ted Rand, Laura discovers that a memory string is not just for remembering the past: it’s also for recording new memories.

Genres: Picture Books, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Family, Death, Grief, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published August 21, 2000

About the author

Also known as Evelyn Bolton and A.E. Bunting.

Anne Evelyn Bunting, better known as Eve Bunting, is an author with more than 250 books. Her books are diverse in age groups, from picture books to chapter books, and topic, ranging from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. Eve Bunting has won several awards for her works.

Bunting went to school in Ireland and grew up with storytelling. In Ireland, “There used to be Shanachies… the shanachie was a storyteller who went from house to house telling his tales of ghosts and fairies, of old Irish heroes and battles still to be won. Maybe I’m a bit of a Shanchie myself, telling stories to anyone who will listen.” This storytelling began as an inspiration for Bunting and continues with her work.

In 1958, Bunting moved to the United States with her husband and three children. A few years later, Bunting enrolled in a community college writing course. She felt the desire to write about her heritage. Bunting has taught writing classes at UCLA. She now lives in Pasadena, California.

Reviews

[Philip Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the loss of her Mother three years ago, young Laura is adapting to life with her new stepmother, Jane. It's difficult for Laura to see her Father so happy with Jane, the way he used to be with Mother, and she's having a hard time with Jane filling this role. To remind her of happier times in the past, Laura carries a cherished memory string with her filled with buttons from various garments worn by her Mother, Father, and herself. As she's looking over the buttons and remembering life with her mother, her cat, Whiskers, jumps from her lap, breaking the memory string and scattering the buttons in the grass. Laura, Jane, and Father intently search for the lost buttons, finding all but one, her Mother's favorite. As Laura goes to bed that night feeling sad, Jane initiates a final search for the button and locates it. When Laura finds the button in the morning, she realizes Jane was responsible for finding it, and a relationship of love and understanding begins to form.
The pictures in this book accurately reflect the text in a way that is easy for readers to follow along and relate with. The events in the story are portrayed using expressions and colors that give the reader a vivid understanding of emotion and detail. We see the happiness that exists between Father and Jane, the colorful buttons that are representative of Laura's past, and the sadness she feels when the missing button cannot be located. We also see a true love begin to emerge between Daughter and Stepmother as Laura realizes the effort that Jane put into finding the missing button.
I think this book is an excellent teaching tool for young children who may be experiencing the effects of a divorce or the separation that is felt with the loss of a loved one. Although there is a void left when these changes occur, we have ways of remembering our past and keeping the memories close to our heart. The message in this story implies that if we keep an open heart and mind when these voids open up, we can once again fill them with love and joy, at the same time keeping the memories of our past cherished and alive.
The content in the book may be better suited for elementary age students who are able to comprehend the ideas of changes that occur in our lives. However, the message presented in the book provides many different opportunities for learners of all ages to benefit from, and can be applied to other life lessons as well. The idea of creating something to remember a part of our life or an accomplishment is certainly one way of incorporating this book into an everyday lesson. It could also be used to introduce someone new to the classroom, such as a long term substitute teacher or a new student.

[Aneesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprise gem

[S]

Greg: Here read this book your pre-schooler chose at random and that I have no idea what is.

Sarah: [reads] Ha ha that darn cat.

Sarah: [reads] OH GOD LIFE IS FRAGILE I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH [sobs]

[Karli Eller · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does it feel like to have someone try and replace your mom? Why does it hurt to see someone else happy when you are sad? Why are memories so important to us after we have lost someone?

Eve Bunting created a story that looks into all of the questions above. Laura, the main character, holds dear to the memory string her mom gave her that is strung with buttons from important family events over the years. Now that her mom is gone, the string is what gives her comfort while her dad has found support and comfort from his new wife Jane. The string is her lifeline. But what happens when it breaks and a button goes missing? Will that memory will be gone forever? Will she accept help from the one person she has been shutting out?

Bunting does a great job examining the dynamic between a stepparent and stepchild. When is it okay to step in and when should one back off? How can one go about earning the trust of someone that wishes you were not there? Bunting includes so many subtle hints and references about the character’s feelings and thoughts throughout the book. This is a wonderful book to use to teach making inferences. Students will be able to use their prior knowledge and clues from the book to help understand how each of the characters feel and why they feel the way they do.

I’ve read this book to my class many times over the years and I still enjoy seeing the small grins on my student’s faces after the final page has been read. There is hope for these characters in the future.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although she's been gone for three years now, Laura often thinks about her deceased mother and cherishes the button-filled memory string whose buttons represent pieces of her family's stories. As she tells the stories to her cat Whiskers, he does not want to stay and rips the string, scattering the buttons. Laura's father and her new stepmother Jane find all the buttons except one, a button from her father's military uniform. Late at night, Jane finally finds the mssing button. The idea of 43 buttons serving as a reminder of important life events is a powerful one, allowing Laura to still feel connected to her mother while possibly having room for more good memories. This is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book to help those who have lost someone feel as though they are not alone. The illustrations capture perfectly Laura's still-fresh pain, the yearning of her stepmother for acceptance, and Whisker's desire to escape from Laura's clutches since he's heard the story far too many times before.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Memory String" is a sweet story about a young girl who tries to hold on to the wonderful memories of her deceased mother, while questioning if she should begin to make great memories with her new step mother. This would be a good story to use when teaching students how to visualize. Students could record the things they see, hear, feel, and smell (there was no tasting in this story) in their mind as the story is read. One could also incorporate this book into math lessons where students could count buttons and make their own memory strings.

[Gail Barge]

This book choked me up. This story is so familiar for many children who lose parents, whether it be through divorce or death. It can be so hard for children to adjust to a new parent in their lives. I myself struggled with this. This book would be great to read to students who have lost parents. The important message: although a parent may be out of your life, the memories will always be alive.

[Maressa Mortimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and poignant

Love illustrations, beautiful story. Very short and simple, but saying so much! Dealing with grief is hard, but this gorgeous book opens doors for conversations.

[Lauren Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the ideas expressed in this story of holding onto precious memories and accepting (not substituting) new people into our lives.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overly earnest, but still lovely. And important. And I love the concept of a Memory String; even without the story it would be worthwhile to learn about that.

[Nicole Grote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bunting writes a story about a young girl named Laura, who has lost her mother to cancer. One day she is sitting in the yard while her father and stepmother Jane paint the house. Laura sits and admires the necklace that her mother gave her, that's full of beads and buttons that both her mother and grandmother added to the string. It's Laura's most prized possession and she loves it dearly. All of a sudden her cat acts up and breaks the necklace. Her father and Jane try to help her find all of the beads but one is still missing. That night Laura overhears Jane and her father talking and she starts to feel guilty towards the way in which she treats Jane. From there on you see Jane continue to look for the missing bead and Laura try to treat Jane a bit better. Overall, this book was quite good. It would be especially useful for children who may have had a parent pass or who are struggling with accepting a step parent. For the most part the story is well written. Some parts of the book could have used more information or context and I personally felt that the ending could have been elaborated on a bit more. With that said though, the book did a good job of covering a serious and difficult topic.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled across this one while reading a "Memorial Day" book by Eve Bunting and at a glance, I think this might be another one. This is by Eve Bunting, but this book is about family and parenting. I read this book on a Kindle 10" Fire using Amazon Kids+ (formerly known as Kindle Freetime Unlimited). This is a picture book that is formatted horribly for Kindle. It has the original picture book images and duplicated the text to a size that is readable. I find this formatting to be very choppy and almost not worth it to experience reading in this manner. This is one that is heart-touching where a girl who has lost her mother to death is adjusting to a new wife for her father and memories both hard and good. There is room for new memories and getting to that point is the main purpose of this story. I can see this being a good one to explain many feelings to children that may not quite understand.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tension between a young girl and her stepmother dissipates when her stepmother is respectful of her memory string.
I have always been amazed by the body of work that Eve Bunting has contributed to children's literature. This Irish woman who transplanted to California and became an author passed away on October 1, 2023 at the age of 94. My top two favorites by her are THE WEDNESDAY SURPRISE and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR DUCK.
We miss you Eve Bunting. Thanks for all of your stories.

There are several key factors to her writing that I see:
*compassion *humor *a reverence for the ordinary moments *respect for nature *the willingness to tackle very tough subjects *offering solutions *everything presents a story!
*Eve was assigned a different illustrator for each of her books. Miraculously, each match fits perfectly.

[Emma Zvonar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a meaningful book with beautiful illustrations. This book is great for students who have changing family situations or have dealt with a death in the family. It represents family members and important memories with buttons on a string. When they all fall off and come apart it is representative of a child's life changing and feeling like the pieces need to be put back together. Her dad and stepmom who she hasn't quite accepted yet help her do this which represents how our family can change, but they will always be there for us.

[Brittney Noyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book!! It is about a girl named Laura. Her mom died and she now has a stepmother, Jane. At first, she really didn't like seeing her dad that happy. When she is explaining all of her important buttons on her family memory string, her cat ruins the string and all of the buttons fell off. Her dad, Jane, and Lura all tried to find the buttons, but one was missing. When Luara was awake at night, she heard Jane find the button and place it on a table outside so Laura could find it in the morning. Laura realizes that Jane really cares about her.

[Keaton Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book because of how relevant it is in children's lives. They have great illistration but the message is so powerful. Having a child sad because of divorce really resonates with a lot of kids and could help a kid in my class get through it in a more productive way. It's also a great story because it shows a real perspective of all step parents out there, they want to connect with the kids but not overstep the line. So connecting the stepparent with the other side of the family is a truly powerful thing.

[Stevie Cupp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a beautiful read. The illustrations were great, and very life-like. This story has a very heavy idea attached to it, remarriage. A child being in the middle of a divorce, or maybe have experience a parent dying could relate a lot to this book. It's basically about a little girl coming to terms with her dad having a new wife, and her having to get used to the idea of having a stepmom. Although, I feel like this story was about the stepmom coming to terms with having a stepchild as well. They both are trying to work things out, and the memory string helps connect the two of them.

[Lauren Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book I loved, The Memory String, written by Eve Bunting was also a touching and heartfelt story. This is one of the most emotional children's books I had ever come across and almost moved me to tears. I'm not sure if I would ever read this book to a classroom of students, but if I had anyone recently struggling with loss who was having troubles coping I would offer them this book to read. The story of unconditional love no matter what you deem as family is overwhelmingly positive in this book and it is a great read for all ages.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for ATY 2019 Reading Challenge Week 23: Something Old.

Her mom has died and now she has a stepmother. Laura resists being close to her. She uses her memory string of buttons to remember her past, but the string breaks and buttons go everywhere in the yard. One is still missing when she goes to bed that night. Laura overhears Jane and her father talking. She learns how caring her step-mother is during this conversation. The button is found, but more importantly, Laura finds a place in her heart for Jane. A children's picture book.

[Sharon Bromberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

•     Young girl’s mother died and she now has a new stepmother.

•     The memory string is a strung collection of buttons from her great-grandmother to her grandmother to her mother to her. Each button has a story of its source and is a “true moment.”

•     She is self-aware enough to realize that she is being mean and is hurting her stepmother.

•     Jane the stepmother is also aware and knows that there is “no substitute allowed.”

•     More about acceptance of stepparent than dealing with the death.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does an incredible job of showing what it can be like living with a separated family, whether it be from a divorce or death. It's another book with good illustrations and I love the meaning behind the story. It also has a great ending, with the daughter starting to appreciate her stepmom. It's a great book to read to younger kids and especially those that you know might be going through the same type of situation.

[Nicholas King · Rating 4 out of 5]

The meaning behind The memory string has a very deep meaning. A girl named Laura collects and keeps many strings and buttons to remember the past. Laura's late mother would always do this with her. When Laura gets a new step mom (Jane), she keeps collecting and Jane tries to help her but it's not the same because it's not her biological mom. When Laura loses a button, Jane helps her find it. In the end, this brings nice feeling unification

[Brenna Shull · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shows how a child's relationship with a step parent can occur. When a child loses a parent it can be hard and confusing so they hold onto the memories they have. This book shows how a relationship with a step parent can form and grow just by understanding the child and not pushing them. I would have this book in my classroom for children who have lost their parent or their parents are separated.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would resonate with lots of children because it talks about a little girl after her parents get a divorce. This is a situation all to common in children's lives so having a story about a girl dealing with this would beneficial for students to hear. I enjoy the book because of its powerful messages and the perspective of the step mother showing her desire to connect with her step daughter which can be a very difficult thing to do.

[Tyne Mather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet book about a little girl who has the memory string of her family. It holds a lot of different buttons from pieces of clothing that have a special memory attached to them. One day, the cat got to it and broke it. She was very upset but her stepmom and dad came in to help even though she didn't like her stepmom. Eventually they found all of the buttons and it was fixed and the little girl started to think about putting a button on her stepmom's shirt on her memory string.

[Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book dealing with changing roles in a family. The protagonist's mom has died and the father has remarried. Protagonist has a hard time accepting the step-mom, who is trying to be loving, understanding, and give her space. When the protagonist's string of memory beads breaks, the step-mom helps finds the lost buttons and the girl learns an important lesson about love coming from all sorts of people in all sorts of ways.

[Macie Estes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story about a young girl whose father has recently remarried, and she spends a lot of time reflecting on her memories and struggling to accept her new stepmother. This story is full of positive messages about remembrance, family, and love, making it great for the classroom. I would recommend that a teacher be aware of her particular class and the experiences of her students before reading this aloud, however.

[Emily Alig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a simple story that is relatable to many children. With the setting at their home on a summer day, "The Memory String" could be a good story to read to children whose parents may be in a second marriage. This story is good for children in these situations to read and understand that there are others who go through the same situations and there are ways to deal with change.

[Jenna Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this book is perfect to show that there are real emotions in books, even when they are fiction. I think this book would be good to read when trying to help a child through the emotional rollercoaster of having a step-parent join their family. I think that the book is written well, but was not a personal favorite of mine.

[Hannah Achenbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story about a young girl, Laura, and her struggle with her mother's passing and accepting her new, kind stepmother, Jane. Eve Bunting wrote an amazing story that makes you feel sympathy, sorrow, hope, and a sense of pride. I would use this book as a resource in my classroom for any integrated families.