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The Boy With Two Belly Buttons    by Stephen J. Dubner & Christoph Niemann Amazon.com order for
Boy With Two Belly Buttons
by Stephen J. Dubner
Order:  USA  Can
HarperCollins, 2007 (2007)
Hardcover

Read an Excerpt

* *   Reviewed by Hilary Daninhirsch

This picture book, written by one of the authors of Freakonomics, aims to honor differences and speaks to children about individuality. The shadowy illustrations are simple and laced with a touch of humor.

A little boy named Solomon has two belly buttons, and he is shocked to discover, once his baby sister is born, that his condition is quite unusual. He never thinks anything of it until his parents tell him that his sister has the right number of belly buttons.

He learns that no one has ever heard of such a thing, a fact that is continually reinforced as the book progresses. Solomon sinks further into an abyss of despair. Then a 'very famous movie director' (who looks strikingly like Steven Spielberg) takes an interest in his story and decides to make a movie about him.

One issue I had with the book is that it isn't until he receives external validation (from the movie director) that Solomon finally comes to appreciate his uniqueness.

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