The Boy With Two Belly Buttons

The Boy With Two Belly Buttons by Stephen J. Dubner. Illustrated by Christoph Niemann. HarperCollins. 2007.

Honestly, I didn't know quite what to expect from The Boy With Two Belly Buttons. It's obviously a silly book with a cutesy message of self-acceptance...but somewhere between the covers of this one...I was charmed and pleasantly amused. It begins off simply, "Solomon never thought it was strange that he had two belly buttons until he got a baby sister. Anya had only one." At first he was concerned, his sister was missing a belly button. Then the devastating news hits him: one was the right number of belly buttons a person should have. He was the odd one, the different one, the freak. The next pages has Solomon seeking out the bellies of young and old...trying to find some answers. His quest even takes him to a professor of buttonology. But it isn't until he meets a famous movie director that our young hero learns that being special, one-of-a-kind, unique is the best thing he could be. While I suppose some might find it silly or over-the-top, I find it charming and enjoyable. I haven't tried it out with kids, I don't have easy access, but I would imagine that it would inspire a few giggles along the way.

I think what makes this story a success, besides the text of course, is the artwork by Christoph Niemann. See what I mean...