Billy Brown and the Belly Button Beastie
Billy Brown doesn't believe in monsters. That is, he doesn't until one night when his belly button is stolen by the Belly Button Beastie! Now Billy Brown must figure out a way to get his belly button back!
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Billy Brown doesn't believe in monsters. That is, he doesn't until one night when his belly button is stolen by the Belly Button Beastie! Now Billy Brown must figure out a way to get his belly button back! Children's Literature Japanese folklore regard those most intriguing belly buttons as an invitation to be stolen by one of their folk culture's little beasties. In this telling, there is not any explicit reference to the Japanese tradition; instead the focus is on any-child's fantasies about a belly button monster. Children who are still struggling with the movement from fantasy to reality might be uneasy with the idea that belly buttons can be interchanged with chocolate drops; however, the story does give the Doctor Denton's clad hero, Billy Brown, a proactive role in facing down fears and threats. Baird Hoffmire's illustrations move the story clearly into the realm of fantasy; his belly button beastie is a snot green refuge from a cartoon, and the hero, Billy Brown, is clearly in charge. In the end, this offering from August House is likely to do what good folklore does—help a child deal with their imaginative theories about such mysterious realities of our bodies as belly buttons. To help classrooms deal with the social-emotional issues, the website offers lesson plans. Reviewer: Mary Hynes-Berry
\ Children's Literature - Mary Hynes-Berry\ Japanese folklore regard those most intriguing belly buttons as an invitation to be stolen by one of their folk culture's little beasties. In this telling, there is not any explicit reference to the Japanese tradition; instead the focus is on any-child's fantasies about a belly button monster. Children who are still struggling with the movement from fantasy to reality might be uneasy with the idea that belly buttons can be interchanged with chocolate drops; however, the story does give the Doctor Denton's clad hero, Billy Brown, a proactive role in facing down fears and threats. Baird Hoffmire's illustrations move the story clearly into the realm of fantasy; his belly button beastie is a snot green refuge from a cartoon, and the hero, Billy Brown, is clearly in charge. In the end, this offering from August House is likely to do what good folklore does—help a child deal with their imaginative theories about such mysterious realities of our bodies as belly buttons. To help classrooms deal with the social-emotional issues, the website offers lesson plans. Reviewer: Mary Hynes-Berry\ \ \ \ \ School Library JournalPreS-Gr 1- Every night, Billy tosses and turns in bed and kicks off the covers. His mama warns him that "the Belly Button Beastie is going to come and take your belly button right...out...of your...BELLY." Although the child is not afraid, young readers/listeners may find this prospect alarming. Furthermore, when the Beastie does appear, it is indeed quite beastly, portrayed in garish green and blue with a gaping mouth. The next morning, Billy drinks milk and the liquid gushes out of the hole in his abdomen. In the bathtub, soapy water pours in and soap bubbles float out. School friends plug the hole with bubblegum, string, tape, etc., but nothing works until someone suggests trying chocolate (the same brown color as Billy). That night, he tricks the monster into trading his belly button for the good-smelling chocolate substitute. After the boy searches through the Beastie's bag full of belly buttons to find his own, the switch is made. From then on, the creature pursues candy instead of belly buttons. The simple cartoon illustrations include several images that are disturbing and somewhat bizarre. Judy Sierra's Tasty Baby Belly Buttons (Knopf, 1999) and Olga Loya's "The Belly Button Monster," from More Ready-to-Tell Tales from Around the World (August House, 2000), are better versions of this story.-Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH\ \ \
