Oliver Button Is a Sissy Review

Manufacturer: Voyager Books
Author(s): Tomie Depaola

ISBN: 0156681404 EAN: 9780156681407
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 48
Reading Level: Ages 4-8

Average Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Retail Price: ~~$7.00~~
Online Sale Price: $7.00
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A little boy must come to terms with being teased and ostracized because he’d rather read books, paint pictures, and tap-dance than participate in sports. “There is a good balance between the simple text . . . and the expressive pictures . . . an attractive little book.”--School Library Journal

User Submitted Oliver Button Is a Sissy Reviews

November 8, 2008
Oh, so true to life!!
I am saddened by the personal experience of another reviewer with heartless people. I wanted to comment, though, that while this is not how things worked out for them, this book could easily have been written as an autobiographical account of events for one of my dearest friends - indeed, my highschool sweetheart - who was a dancer, singer and actor with thick, long, wavy hair ... Oh boy, did he attract more than his fair share of teasing and bullying all the way through to our final year of high school. But, just like Oliver Button, he persevered, because he LOVED the arts - and still does, twenty years later!

At the beginning of our final year, we had a talent show for our grade. When he took to the stage, he copped the usual taunts from the 'cool jocks' in the audience ... and then he started to dance. He captivated the entire audience, including those who had teased him mercilessly for years. One of the teenage boys started to call something out after my friend had begun, but he was quickly punched in the arm and silenced by another teenager, higher up in the leadership ranks of the 'cool' group - something I was somewhat surprised, but delighted, to witness. My friend went on that evening to not only win the Dance portion of the talent show, but was also the Overall Winner of the entire talent show. He was never teased again, but instead admired and congratulated for his enormous talent and, I believe, for his persistence in the face of all that teasing, when it surely would have been easier to give it all up and just "fit in". Oliver Button had his shining moment at about seven years of age. My friend had to wait and persevere until sixteen for his! I will never forget that evening. And I will always hold in my heart the lesson of being true to yourself and what you love, even when (perhaps especially when) confronted by the mindless and cruel taunts of others and their smallminded expectations about what you should do/be/have.

I think this is an absolutely fabulous book, as does my eight year old son - he was cheering for Oliver Button all the way. The illustrations are so expressive and it is beautifully written. Another wonderful title by Tomie de Paola - highly recommended!! :-)

September 8, 2008
Oliver Button Is A Star!
OLIVER BUTTON IS A SISSY, by Tomie dePaola, is a very special book. Aimed at young children (but meaningful at any age), OLIVER BUTTON IS A SISSY tells the story of a little boy, Oliver, who doesn't what to do "normal" boy things. He isn't very athletic, but he likes to walk in the woods, draw pictures, wear costumes and put on plays, read, and most of all, Oliver loves to dance. His parents enroll him in a dance class, "...for the exercise," says his father. The other boys tease him and call him names. The girls have to come to his rescue. But Oliver practices and practices his dancing. In the end, even though he does not win the local talent show, everyone realizes that Oliver is special. Oliver Button is a star.

This book has a lot of meaning for my best friend and me, and I am thrilled that I am able to share it with my daughters, ages 11 and 3. Both of them have enjoyed reading this book with me over the years. I have heard the older one reading it to the younger one, because she (the older one) likes it so much. Currently, it is on the wee one's list of frequently asked for books. I asked my three year old why she likes it so much. "Because, Mommy, Oliver loves all of the things I do, he tries hard like me, and he can be anything he wants, just like me. He is my friend." My amazing child is very astute. She has gotten everything that I could want her to out of this story. Do what you love, do your best, don't listen to peer pressure, be who you are...and you will succeed. We are all unique, all gifted, all special. That is the very special, very important message of OLIVER BUTTON IS A SISSY.

"If I believe it, I can be anything, anything at all."

May 10, 2008
a different child
oliver button is a very charming, candid, outspoken boy of about seven....he does not possess the usual desires of small american lads; instead he prefers walking in woods,playing w dolls and costuming himself. papa and the kids call him a sissy.Read this delightful tale to see how olivers tauntings change remarkably....And tomie de paolas drawings are the best...

April 16, 2008
ONE OF MY FAVORITE CHILDHOOD BOOKS !!!
I identified with this book so much as a kid, and i still do now as I read it to my own children.

My mother was always scared to read it to me because she knew I was a little "different" and didn't want to encourage it, but i took a solace in it.... and Oliver Button was my hero.

I wanted to be his friend, Because, through this simple book, he was my friend.

This is an excellent story for pre-k-2nd graders. It is a step beyond the simplicity of Todd Parr, but they play in the same field.

It is real and lives in a real world where the out of the ordinary people don't always fit, and strange looks ensue.

Please buy this and read it to your children, they will thank you for it.

May 13, 2007
A Great Story for Self-Worth
This book describes how Oliver is happy, not playing sports like all the other boys, but taking dance lessons. His parent support him, but at school, he is called a sissy. After a community talent show, which Oliver does not win, his schoolmates realize he is a winner. Oliver stuck with his dreams and desires, against the odds. To me, this story is great for kids, as it illustrates how to stick with something if it is what you desire. It has a great message for children as well as care-givers. The illustrations are wonderful, too.

November 28, 2005
Pretty Good, Not DePaola's Best
Tomie dePaola states in the liner notes that Oliver's story is partly autobiographical. "I could spend hours drawing, and nobody ever asked me to play on their ball teams because I was so bad at it."

Oliver's pursuits are less than gender-appropriate in the eyes of his male peers. He enjoys dancing, dressing up, acting, reading, and drawing. His father doesn't approve, either, but his mother and his female peers come to his aid. This help, however, works to Oliver's detriment: "Gotta have help from girls," the boys say teasingly. In the end Oliver, however, Oliver succeeds on his own terms.

This testimony to being oneself was written in 1979, and includes dePaola's signature drawings using a limited color palette. Though it isn't as charming as the Strega Nona books, it effectively delivers its message.

July 26, 2005
Great beginning, but fizzles out
I bought this book because Oliver Button is very much like I was at his age. He is more interested in playing with girls and doing activities that are not usually done by boys. I also thought it would be a good way to teach children that they don't have to conform to gender roles. However, having worked with elementary school children in various settings for years, I found the story to be very unrealistic.
The beginning is good. We are presented with a feel for Oliver's dificulties. Everyone wants him to be more like other boys. His father wants him to play sports, but he wants to dance instead. His mother enrolls him in a dance school, and he learns how to dance. He perseveres despite the fact that his peers are pestering him for being a "sissy"; they even write "Oliver Button Is A Sissy" on the wall (hence the title). The girls defend him by giving the bullies a talking-to. The bullies stop beating him up, which is a bit unrealistic; boys who are bullies hate girls as much as they hate boys like Oliver.
I was disappointed by the ending. Near the end, Oliver signs up for a talent show. His act involves tap dancing. The other children in his class, at the teacher's suggestion, go to see him perform. If you think this seems unrealistic (why would children who hate Oliver go to see him perform?), you will be even more disappointed by the last page, when Oliver goes to school after the talent show (which he didn't win) and finds that the wall no longer reads "Oliver Button Is A Sissy" because the word "sissy" has been crossed out and replaced with "star." Just because he does a performance doesn't mean those who formerly hated him will like him. I know this because I tried it myself at his age!
Though I like the ideals the author was trying to communicate, such a tacked-on happy ending is very misleading. You want a book about teasing, read Chrysanthemum. You want a book about prejudice, read Dr. Seuss's The Sneetches. You want a book about children who become successful, read Ibi Lepscky's Famous People series. You want a book about gender roles, read William's Doll. Anything but this book!

March 14, 2003
Oliver Button is a Sissy by Will Herman
I really enjoyed this book. It is about a little boy named Oliver Button. This little boy doesn't really care what other people think, he likes to do what he thinks is fun, and that is it. He doesn't do normal things like other boys, he dances, and jumps rope for exercise. He got a new pair of tap shoes and the older boys teased him and called him a sissy and wrote it on the wall. Oliver still kept going to dance school and practicing and practicing.
When there is a talent competition, Oliver signs up to be in it. During the competition he did a tap routine and ends up losing. His parents still thought of him as a champion and when he goes back to school, instead of Oliver Button is a sissy on the wall it says Oliver Button is a star. I would recommend this book to a lot of people because this is a very entertaining book. It shows that if you have fun doing something thats a little different, keep doing it no matter what other people say.

June 23, 2002
It's OK to be Different!
This is an excellent book that confronts gender stereotypes and the importance of accepting people for who they are. Oliver Button does not engage in the traditional activities that boys do, and thus, he is faced with repercussions and consequences (based on how others feel Oliver should behave/act). I teach fourth grade and - though a picture book - it is the ideal book to discuss self-confidence and diversity and the significance of accepting individuals while recognizing their accomplishments and contributions.

March 6, 2002
Learning How Not To Be A Non-Conformist...
When I first read this book to my library classes, I was a little curious on how they would react. Yet I was suprised to find that after the story was finished, the children cheered and clapped. There were many attentive children throughout the story and some(whom I personally believe)were wondering why Oliver was so 'different.' Maybe it could be that more than a handful of children could relate to this story. It was fun for me acting out the different parts, and the children enjoyed these visuals also. We also shared how we would feel in the situations Oliver was set in. I recommend this book to all!

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