The Button Book

by Sally Nicholls, Bethan Woollvin (Illustrator)

This silly and sweet board book introduces young children to colors through humor and clever interactive elements. For fans of Hervé Tullet's Press Here .

Here's a button. I wonder what happens when you press it?

Follow a group of animal friends as they discover a collection of mysterious buttons, all of which do different things!

From a blue singing button to a purple tickle button, from a rude sound button to a mysterious white button, there's only one way to find out what they press them all! And thankfully, there's even a sleeping button to lull the animals to sleep after a busy day.

A lively introduction to colors and shapes, The Button Book is the perfect interactive book for storytime (and bedtime!).

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Childrens, Animals, Humor, Fiction, Juvenile

24 pages, Board Book

First published May 6, 2019

About the author

Sally Nicholls is a prize-winning British children's author. She was born and grew up in Stockton-on-Tees. On finishing school, Nicholls chose to travel around the world. Her first novel was Ways to Live Forever.

Reviews

[Blaine DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book! The button book is all about buttons, colors and what happens when you push a button. Great to read to infants who will like the fun story and age appropriate illustrations. Adults may read this to their little ones but this is one that I can see children pulling out and having fun by themselves. Each colored button has a different result when you press it, and once it gets to the end of the colors it reverses order until it is time to sleep. All I can say is, beware of Green! Fun book for one and all. Top notch work by both the author and illustrator.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sweet little book! This was a wonderful book for interaction my daughter loved clapping at the yellow button and hugging at the pink. Her favorite was the green button but I won’t give that one away read it for yourself. Any book that ends with her shouting “Read it again!” Gets a gold star from me.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Button Book is one of those interactive picture books in the same vein as Bill Cotter's Don't Push the Button! series. It doesn't break the fourth wall to the same extent, as the "story" is about a group of animals finding various coloured buttons to push. Each button is a different shape and has a specific function: everything from blowing raspberries to having tickle fights.

I can see some kids really loving this (and some parents groaning when the book gets pulled out of the bookshelf). I don't know if I'm a huge fan of these interactive books, as they often don't have much of a story and rely on interaction with the reader for much of the enjoyment. (This is probably not one you're going to want to read at bedtime because of its potential to wind kids up.)

For what it is, it's fine. If you like this kind of picture book, you'll likely find much to enjoy here.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra Books for providing a digital ARC.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute, interactive book for toddlers. Each page shows a button of different colours and shapes. Animals come upon the buttons and ask each other what they think it might do. Of course they press the button and they all cause you to do different things; tickle buttons, rude noise buttons (blowing raspberries), clapping, singing, hugging etc. After going through all the buttons, the animals do it again. This is a cute book that had my granddaughter and I laughing and being silly. It is definitely not one that I would read before bed, but when you are trying to have fun, or cheer a child up, this is a great choice to do that. The illustrations are not the best and did not really attract the eye, but it didn't seem to matter to her. We read it a few times until grandma had enough. This is one I would definitely recommend for a family library. The publisher generously provide me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Here's a red button.
I wonder what happens
when you press it?"

Oh my goodness. Me, too.

"Beep!"

Well, that was fun. What's next?

"Here's an orange button.
What does the orange button do?"

Oh yes. Just my sort of book. Let's go.

"It's a clapping button!
Everybody clap!"

Clapping! Hurray.

"What happens when you
press the blue button?"

I can't wait to press the blue button....

I could do this all day. Over and over.

So could all the children who have seen this book....

[Etienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good place left to the imagination and the «acting» between the parents and child while they are reading it, so that is a positive element but unfortunately that's about the only one...

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE finding a picture book that is interactive and silly and fun...especially for younger toddlers and preschoolers. This is a perfect read for children who have lots of energy and want to be involved in the "reading". I loved it!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great storytime book for older kids - the interactive element is a hit, plus it can help to get parents involved (hugs + tickles). Cute illustrations. Not a ton of story, but that's not a problem for me - I turn to this book to add an element of fun to storytime.

[Emma Grace Blumer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun way to teach colors to a toddler!

[Mackenzie Covert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book for little kids between the ages of 1 and 4. Read it with a two year old. He LOVED it. It’s interactive, gave him something to do. It was a good book when my sister was little too.

[Kai · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Silly and sweet' is truly the perfect way to describe this book. It's cute and has a (very light) plot but leaves plenty of room for imagination, play, and fun when reading it with kids.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Cloud · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was very fun. Def has a bit of an Adventure Time art vibe. I think maybe seeing if Baby is more interested in it in another few months will be fun. She got some of the ideas, but her attention still wandered a bit. Overall a very cute book.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was cute, but not too excited about it since I really love Press Here, but it turns out four year olds don't mind if they have two books with the same concept. As soon as we finished the book she asked to read it again, and then after our next book, asked for it AGAIN. So this will definitely be a purchase as soon as it comes out.

There's no big suprises in the buttons, there are tickles and songs and hugs. I like making raspberry sounds but the book goes hard on it being a rude noise (that feels a bit old fashioned, like something my mom's age would say?) and has the narrator scold the noise making instead of joining in, which is annoying. I prefer when books let the parent get silly too, like The Book with No Pictures does that protesting silly things well. The animals are cute, although I will say Woollvin's characters always look a little sinister to me? Something about the eyes maybe? It was a strength in Little Red where I liked her seeming a little extra knowing and dangerous. It's a little extra cute and clever to have the final sleepy spread include a "wake up" button which leads into the end papers. If this was the final of my daughter's three stories before bed, we could stop without pressing that one and end on the sleepy note.

I recieved a copy for review through NetGalley, but my opinions are my own, and my daughter's are her own.

[Tara Button · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. It’s so clever and so interactive. All a toddlers fave things in one book. Each page reveals a button that you or your child press - tickle buttons, rude noise buttons, and hug buttons. It’s the perfect thing to entertain and then calm before bed. I also love it because my surname is Button. ALL my mum pals will be getting this book for Xmas :)

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone loves to push a button, be it on an elevator, a door, or even the buttons on a computer or tablet, just to cite a few. There is something exciting about it that delights both the young and old. Little ones will love this fun interactive book. It's a perfect way to learn colours and shapes making the book not only entertaining but educational as well.

A variety of sweet animals team up to answer questions about the different coloured buttons they find and what could possibly happen if they decide to press them. They first discover that a red button when pressed... beeps, the orange button encourages everyone to clap, the blue button wants everyone to sing and the green button is a raspberry button... how rude! On and on they go trying their luck and delighting in the results that each new colour and shape button brings.

The book stimulates imaginations and allows the response of the reader to drive the playful narrative. I really like that the last white button buttons up the whole story and tucks everyone away for the night. Yep, it's a sleep button.

The illustrations are very kid-friendly and they invite the reader into the adventure along with the animals. "The Button Book" would be a wonderful read-aloud for a storytime session or to share at bedtime . I highly recommend this book.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Button Book is a fun and engaging activity book for the youngest readers. Due out 14th Jan 2020 from Penguin Random House on their Tundra imprint, it's 32 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

This is an interactive story activity book with a group of animal friends pushing a different colored button on each 2-page spread. There's a hugging button, a tickle button, a singing button, a *thbbbpppt* raspberry button, etc. I can see this becoming a perennial favorite activity book. I don't imagine it would make a good bedtime book with all the raspberrying and tickling and bouncing, but it definitely would make a fun activity at other reading times.

The art is colorful, simple, energetic, and whimsical. The text is very easy to follow and fun. There are fun 'hidden' buttons in the book also, inviting a closer look for readers. The typesetting in Sassoon infant font is bouncy and easy to read.

This is a fun book. Not a bedtime read, but a fun book nonetheless. Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Jess Rodgers · Rating 3 out of 5]

The button book is the story of a group of friends who find buttons of different colors to press. The first button is red, and makes a beeping sound. The next is orange and is the clapping button. The pink and purple buttons were my daughter’s favorite, as they were hugging and tickling respectively. The last button is white, and turns off all the lights. The animals then go to sleep.

My three year old review buddy thought this book was fantastic! She spent the rest of the day yelling “Pink button! Green button!” and mimicking the actions of each. (Of course, the white button was not included in her demands.)

However, I found the structure of the book a little confusing. It seems meant for bedtime, so why have an exciting button (beeping, again) right before sleeping? I would’ve rather had buttons descend into sleepiness instead of ramping up, calming down, ramping up, then sleep.

Mixed review here. My daughter loved it but I’m just not too sure about the structure.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House CA for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had seen another review of this book on Amazon in which the reviewer was disappointed that this book did not have "real buttons" and that's why she returned it. Funny, this book not having electronics is precisely the reason why we enjoyed this book!

This book was a surprise find as a library "grab bag" selection and daughter loved it. She enjoyed the illustrations with the color schemes on each button's page - everything on the red button page was shades of red with black and white, perfect when you are teaching colors. She also recognized the white button at the end too, which was great.

The book is very interactive and imaginative - fun to act out, and how great to teach your children that they don't need batteries and flashing lights to make noise, hear music, or have fun.

My only complaint is that I can't find this book as a board book, only hardcover. If/when we buy our own copy, it will likely get torn up quickly from overuse. But this is no reason to drop a star.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Button Book is an interactive story that invites readers to predict what will happen when the characters (all cute animals) press mysterious buttons.

In addition to being fun and engaging, I think The Button Book can also help develop some early literacy skills. There's shape recognition and colors of course, and each button is associated with an action, like singing, hugging, etc which gives the opportunity to follow written directions. The the second time we encounter each colored button, it's in reverse order, which I think is a fun exercise for growing brains,

The book offers opportunities for imagination (What do YOU think the button will do?), interaction, (everybody clap!), and literacy skill development . I think this would be very fun in a toddler time or preschool storytime.

Thank you to Tundra Books and Netgalley for the digital review copy in exchange for review.

[MookNana · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book! Each button has a unique color, shape, and activity that are sure to generate interest and smiles in very young readers (18mo - 3yrs). This is one of those books that will likely be requested over and over because it's fun, funny, and invites lots of fun interaction with the parent/caregiver/reader.

Because of the actions that go with each button, this would probably be best as a one-on-one or small group read. The energy level could range from lively to outright pandemonium with bouncing, tickles, and hugs, but it ends on a quiet note that will help everyone regroup if a transition is necessary afterwards.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

[Kendra Degner · Rating 2 out of 5]

This picture book by Sally Nicholls depicts a story about different colored buttons that a group of friends finds. The group decided to push all of the buttons because they are curious about what each button will do. The group has to use teamwork to decide which buttons to push in what order.

I did not like this book because it did not really have a story behind it and it did not make a lot of sense to me. I would rather read books to my students that are going to teach them things. But any book can have a lesson, this book just might be a little harder.

I could use this book in my classroom to teach a lesson about teamwork. Teamwork is a very good skill to have at any age because you will always have to be around people and work around them in school and even potentially in a job.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Littles are going to love this little bedtime book! There's buttons to push that tell them to clap, sing, make rude noises, fun stuff littles love to do! And it also has a hug button, so child headed to sleep can get in a few more hugs! And, of course, the inevitable sleep button at the end of the story (when you actually get to it!) Cute little animals doing silly stuff in all the illustrations! The littles are so going to enjoy this story! Make a great gift.
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read-aloud. While it ends with the light switch "button", it's too interactive to be a real bedtime book despite a button that turns off the lights and we say goodnight to the animals. Well, not a bedtime story unless you like children who after singing, bouncing, and doing raspberries aren't quite ready to fall asleep. Astute children may notice on the last page where the animals are sleeping in a pile that there is another button labelled "wake up." This went unnoticed by the children I was reading with, but we had to start the book over anyway.

[Mesa Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the realm of wonderful interactive picture books, The Button Book by Sally Nicholls is sure to delight you and your child. Even reading this book over and over still proves fun as children have the option to press different colored buttons for different results. Since each button has a different effect, this book also helps young children with simple memorization, and it could certainly be adapted to create even more fun by pressing some buttons more than once. Do you enjoy hugs? Keep pressing the pink button! This is definitely a fun new book to explore with any young child.
-Linde F.

[Megan Griest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really cute and silly book for early learners. The story centers around animals that find buttons of varying size, color, and shape that encourage the animals to do a different activity each time. My three year old loves acting out the story, practicing her colors and shapes, and giggling over the funny animals. Additionally, my seven year old was able to read it to his younger sister and practice sequencing as he read it.

This is a great book for daycares/early learning centers, preschool, and kindergarten.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

[LESLIE J (mrsj_readsbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Button Book is a fun and exiting way to introduce color and movement to young children!
This would be a great addition to a preschool classroom.
Fun, colorful illustrations help to draw the eye to the pages, and bonus songs to sing!

Rainy day and you can't play outside? Pull out this book and the children will be up and moving around your classroom in no time.
.I already have a few ideas of how to use it in my classroom of 3 year-olds.

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Random House Canada for allowing me to read this book.

[Joy Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book, I would recommend it for any young children, the buttons could teach them about colours, the story line is captivating, and the art work is adorable. You could easily read the book, and act out the different buttons as a game with a child- clap, sing, bounce, hug, tickle, sing, sleep, and make Thbbpppt sounds, how fun.

And yes, it's true, children's book creators are unsung geniuses.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There have been many books that have tried to copy the success of Press Here. This is just another book in many. The illustrations are more entertaining, and the conventions of what happens when you press a button work really well for at home reading. I wouldn’t want to do this at story time, and many of the kids may be strangers to each other and pressing a button that requires everyone to hug, could cause problems. Overall I liked this book and would add it to my collections, it’s not one I would use in a public setting. And in all honestly, others have done the trope better.

[Diana Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a FUN interactive book! Each page brings a new button, and each button elicits a new action (clapping, funny noises, hugs, tickles).

I thought Pete the Cat & His Four Groovy Buttons was the best of the 'button' books, with The Good For Nothing button a close second; but, The Button Book tops them all. I am looking forward to sharing this book with the 2s & 3s storytime at the library. This one would also be fun for Family Storytime. I may need to purchase a copy to read with my granddaughter as well!

[Laura (Librarian) Masters · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love interactive books! Kids love interactive books! It makes for a great story time!

Our wonderful woodland creatures come upon a button and wonder what will happen when they push the button!? With each turn of the page we come upon another button and another action that ensues from pushing it. I love letting kids touch the button in the book and then doing the action/sound myself and then they do it. Then we make our own button book afterward and they love sharing those with each other and then taking them home to do with their parents!