[Εξώφυλλο]
Illustrations by
Stav Papadopoulos
Stav Papadopoulos was born in Maria Chatzi has graduated from the
Thessaloniki, Greece and grew up in New department of English Language and
York where she studied. She attended Literature of Aristotle University of
Queens College, CUNY in New York, Thessaloniki and has worked as a teacher
where she majored in Education and of English. She is also a self-taught artist;
recently retrained at the Department of she designs crafts (for kids and adults),
Elementary Education at Aristotle jewelry and other home decor items. She’s
University in Thessaloniki, Greece. Stav been a creativity enthusiast for over
is an English language instructor and fifteen years now. She writes articles and
prepares students for language and activities on Creative Writing, as well as
standardized admission tests for their Craft Projects.
studies abroad. She is a regular She spends a great deal of her time
contributor to teaching and creativity volunteering for public libraries in
sites where she writes about creative Thessaloniki, where she offers creative
teaching. courses, mainly creative writing and
crafts for kids. She also teaches jewelry
making and various techniques for
crafting with recycled materials.
Both her contribution to public libraries
and the publication of this mini ebook, with
a Creative Commons License, are an offer
of free services for the common good in
the local community and an effort to
promote Creativity.
Stav Papadopoulos
Μaria Chatzi
ΤHE TOP BUTTON
Illustrations by
Stav Papadopoulos
Stav Papadopoulos - Maria Chatzi, The top button
ISBN: 978-618-5040-67-3
March 2014
Illustrated and translated by:
Stav Papadopoulos
Page layout:
Konstantina Charlavani
k.charlavani@gmail.com
Saita publications
42 Athanasiou Diakou str, 652 01, Kavala, Greece
Τ.: 0030 2510 831856
M.: 0030 6977 070729
e-mail: info@saitapublications.gr
website: www.saitapublications.gr
Note: The font that we used is offered by Aka-acid (www.aka-acid.com).
Creative Commons license
Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivs 3.0
Unported
With the agreement of the author and publisher, you are free to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work
under the following conditions: attribution, non commercial use, no derivative works.
Detailed information about this license cc, you can read at:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
There once was a button in a sewing supplies store which
always did its best to draw attention to itself as it wanted to be
admired. It was a brilliant, sky blue color button and its holes
were hidden on the bottom. Right in its center there was a
bright star. It was a hand painted masterpiece.
“I would like a button for the top buttonhole. I’m looking for
something special” said a customer. She was holding a white
knitted jacket.
The salesperson placed the sky blue button, Brighty, on the
counter along with some other buttons. Brighty wanting to stand
out, pushed the rest of the buttons aside and said, “Pick me, I’m
the brightest!”
The customer marveled at the shining bright button but said,
“It’s really beautiful but rather expensive.” ”Why don’t you buy
this one to put on top and get some plain but much cheaper blue
buttons for the rest of the buttonholes?” suggested the
salesperson.
That’s how Brighty came to be the top button on Kate’s jacket.
Everyone admired it and it wanted nothing to do with the other
buttons on the jacket. Why, it didn’t even care to know their
names. Of course, life wasn’t always that pleasant or easy for
this bright button, nor did things always happen the way Brighty
had once imagined.
There were times when people just didn’t notice it and it was
often jealous of the other buttons even if they weren’t as fancy
as it was. When Kate left the top unbuttoned it would scream
at the lapel “How dare you cover me up?!”
On cold days Kate’s scarf would get in its way. “Get this off of
me, immediately!” Brighty would order the rest of the buttons.
“We are doing all we can to keep the jacket buttoned up so that
Kate is warm.” they responded.
Whenever the wind was blowing, Kate’s long hair made it difficult
for Brighty to be seen. It would shout at the top of its lungs and
struggle with her flyaway hair until it was exhausted. Yet,
despite all that this bright button was pleased with its good
fortune and felt it deserved that top spot on the jacket. .
Kate was growing fast and the white knitted jacket was now too
small for her. She gave it to her younger cousin Irene. Unlike
Kate who was always well-behaved, Irene would often get into
fights with the other kids in the school yard or in the
neighborhood park. Once as they were going at one another, one
of the kids pulled on Irene’s jacket as if to tear it apart. The
thread holding the top button in place stretched and was
screaming out, “Heeeelp!” and Brighty turned to the other
buttons for help. “Hold on as tightly as you can. We are also
holding onto our own threads. Irene’s jacket needs all of us now!”
they cried out.
One day, Irene was in the middle of a squabble with one of her
classmates when she took off her jacket. Nick grabbed the
jacket and tossed it on the wired fence. All the buttons got
tangled in it and Irene was frantically pulling on the jacket. As
she was pulling the top button got caught in the netting and
almost choked but luckily a kind gentleman came to Brighty’s
rescue and got him out. “That must have been one of my
admirers” thought Brighty.
Irene later noticed that one of the other buttons was missing
and looked for it but could not find it.
“We’ll change all the buttons except the top one” said her mother
that same evening. “New buttons?!” What could Brighty do? Be
happy, worried, scared or pay no attention? What would this
change mean for the top button? When Brighty saw the new
buttons on Irene’s jacket it didn’t know what to think! They were
all exactly the same now and how could it stand out now?
“Ugh! It can’t be!” Brighty thought.
“No! Even if they are like me, it
doesn’t matter. I am no ordinary
button. I am the top button…I am
special!” it consoled itself. The
truth was that now that they
were all the same, which button
held the top spot made no
difference.
“The other buttons, the plain ones, looked better on the jacket”
claimed Brighty but he was lying. No one listened. The new
buttons on the jacket were excited. “We’ve found another family
member! I’m Sunny and this is Twinkles” said one of the buttons.”
“And I’m Goldy and this here is Sparkles. We will make a great
team!”
Whether he liked it or not Brighty had to accept this new
situation. He wasn’t all that happy about this “family”, “team” and
“working together” business. “Oh, well!” Brighty thought. At least
he was still the top button. Over time, he got used to sharing
people’s attention with the rest of the buttons on the jacket. It
wasn’t all that bad. These relatives were not lazy. They all saw
to it that the jacket buttoned up perfectly well.
With the passing of time, Irene too just as Kate grew big. The
jacket with the bright blue buttons could no longer fit her. She
gave it to Peter, a boy who lived next door and his mom colored it
blue.
How beautiful the bright blue buttons with the
hand painted star in the center looked! You’d
think they were like small sail boats floating on
a deep blue sea. People certainly took notice of
them more than ever before.
“If only my relatives would stop taking my
admirers! I wish they had their threads cut off
and maybe they’d get lost” he thought one day.
What he was forgetting though was that the
rest of the buttons had just been sewed on
and had a strong hold. It had been a while for
the threads that held Brighty down. Peter went
out one morning wearing the jacket and that’s
when it happened. The thread that held Brighty
in the top spot was worn and as it broke the
top button found itself rolling down the street.
A cat saw Brighty as he was rolling and chased after it wanting
to play. Brighty ran to get away but got stuck behind a
cardboard box next to a garbage can, where he stayed hidden
for a day. The following day the garbage truck came and along
with the garbage it swallowed the cardboard box.
In trying to escape the button took a wild spin and found itself
under a car, only a short distance from the sewer lid. Just as
Brighty thought it was safe, the car driver turned on the engine
and there was the button again. All alone and unprotected, in the
middle of the street. “But why isn’t Peter coming to get me? I’m
so afraid. I want to go home!” Brighty kept muttering. People
walked past but no one stopped to notice the once proud button.
A magpie saw how bright the button was and picked it up with
its beak. It flew high and landed on a balcony. Seeing something
even brighter, the magpie let go off the button, which fell on the
street again. Brighty didn’t know what to do. It kept rolling back
and forth trying to find a safe place to rest when a young boy
came along and he kicked the button as if it were a ball as far
away as he could. Brighty tumbled in the air and landed on the
steps at the entrance of house and that’s when it burst into
tears. It was two days later when a young girl picked it up-it
was Irene! The exhausted button was dirty and had suffered a
few scratches. “What are you doing here?” she asked the button
which was still whimpering. She wiped it clean and took it to
Peter straight away. “I will be the top button again!” thought
Brighty back at home.
The rest of the buttons on the jacket were very happy to see
Brighty again. “We missed you!” said Sunny. “We feared we might
never see you again!” added Goldy. Brighty was also happy to be
back with the family and felt their warm embrace. That’s what
it’s like when you are loved.
Unfortunately for Brighty his place as top button was taken.
“The day you got lost, Peter got sick and he was coughing. The
doctor said he had to button up and stay warm. The family
decided Sparkles should take your place” said Twinkles.
“You can take your new place right below Goldy.” Brighty frowned
upon hearing about this new position but said nothing. Whereas
he was the top button on the jacket, he was now at the bottom.
As Peter was growing bigger and taller, it was becoming difficult
for the buttons to keep the jacket buttoned properly. On a chilly
autumn morning, Peter wore many layers of clothing underneath
the jacket and that caused Goldy’s threads to stretch until they
were pulled apart. Goldy’s shrieks were heard as it was flung
out of its buttonhole. All the buttons looked on in horror.
“I got you!” said Brighty and tucked the button back in its
buttonhole. Sighing with relief Goldy said, “Without you, I’d be
lost. Thank you! You’ve got a big heart and strong arms”. The
rest of the buttons applauded. “You are a hero!” Twinkles and
Sparkles exclaimed and Brighty felt a different kind of pride, a
kind he had never felt before.
Ever since that day, Brighty never cared about being the top
button. It was happy to help those in need and always did its
best work. This button was indeed a button worth admiring.
THE END
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the zephyr of innovation,
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We invite you to let books fly free!
Brighty is a cute and brilliant button,
which wants people to know how
outstanding he is. Everyone does admire
him until the day he is forced to share
the attention with his relatives, who are
none other than buttons that look
exactly like him.
His life completely changes and led by disappointment and
frustration he lives an adventure which teaches him what it
means to be truly remarkable.
ISBN: 978-618-5040-67-3
