The Land of Lost Buttons
Kayako Nishimaki and Shigeo Nakamura
Originally published in Japan as Botan No Kuni
English version by Alvin Tresselt
pictures by Kayako Nishimaki
Parents' Magazine Press, 1970
Ever wondered where all the lost buttons end up?
Here we meet the right eye of a stuffed rabbit as it falls off and rolls into the unknown, a strange and wonderful place where all the lost buttons gather to hang out and get their groove on.
He came at last to an open meadow, and there he met five yellow button sisters. "Hello," they said. "Where did you come from?"
"I was the eye of a rabbit," Red Button answered, "but I fell off and have run away."
"Welcome to the Land of Lost Buttons," said one of the sisters. "We fell off a yellow sweater and that's why we are here."
Ah well, all seems fun until the rabbit sends a note to the King of Buttons, writing of his heartache over losing an eye. And the button realizes life isn't half as much fun unless you have some bunny to love. Done and done.
This book looks really cool! Unfortunately, it's not to be found in the Minuteman Library Network! Darn.
ReplyDeleteThat's a sweet story and the art is unique! The buttons do share a bit of the "kawaii" aesthetic that is so prominent in Japanese popular culture these days. It's neat to see this came out in the '70s!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely premise for a story.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite pastimes as a child, which-I-have-not-yet-outgrown, was to sort and inspect buttons from the button tin.
wow! what an amazing book! do you have a copy of the book at all? would love to share the love
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