Don't Push the Button by Bill Cotter

from goodreads

5 stars

My mother raised six kids. Honestly, I don't know how she did it. Three are giving me a run for my money. One thing she always said was how different we were. No two of us was a like. Now that is something I can totally relate to. While the youngest is only 1 and yet to make her true personality known (I am sure her destructive capabilities are just a faze... right?!?) the older two are quite different. The oldest is very rule oriented. You say don't cross that line she will be two feet back and not looking at it. She will not cross the line and gets antsy if anyone gets close to it. The middle child is more a "thanks for the suggestion we will see" type of rule follower. When we say don't cross the line she will walk up to the line. Put her foot by it. Slowly slide her foot so it is just touching the line, then is in the middle of the line and then her toe is just about to be on the other side of the line. If you haven't said anything by that point she will put her foot on the other side of the line. (The whole time the oldest one is freaking out because the rule is not being strictly adhered to.) If you have kids like that, this book is one that will be fun to read.

Synopsis

Meet Larry, the lovable purple monster who lives in this book. To read this book there is only one rule don't push the button. Will curiosity get the better of him? Read it and find out.

My Thoughts

This book is awesome. My oldest won't push the button, no way no how, the middle child wants to push it from page one. There is one point in the book where Larry says "Don't push the button. Seriously. Don't even think about it." To which my middle child says, "I'm thinking about it," and then laughs her head off. It is so much fun when a book engages the children and they feel they are part of the story and part of the characters life.

At first I thought this was going to be a book that the kids read once and wouldn't want to read again as they already know what is going to happen. Yet, this is a book that they keep coming back to again and again. Probably because it is so funny.

The illustrations are simple yet oddly compelling. You can see the torture that Larry is going through. The tug and pull, to push the button or not to push the button. His expressions are awesome.

Your children may not be learning about feelings or compassion or any other kind of moral while reading this book. But, they will be entertained and love reading, which is the whole reason behind kids books anyways.