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January 21, 2016 by Travis Jonker

Finding Winnie…’s Butt

January 21, 2016 by Travis Jonker   43 comments

Winnie

Since it won the Caldecott Medal last week, I’ve been reading Finding Winnie to all of my classes (I work with students in grades K-4). I love the book, and it’s been getting a great reception from kids.

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Especially the furry butt cheeks.

What? You don’t see them?

Now, don’t be ashamed if you don’t – I didn’t either. That’s because there aren’t any butt cheeks, of course. But when I’ve shown the cover, about 1 out of every hundred or so students have giggled. The first time or two, I had no idea why. Then the third kid just came out with it. They think Winnie’s knees are Winnie’s butt.

Through the butt see-ers’ eyes, Winnie is facing toward the boot, not away.

So, if you ever want to spice up your read aloud, tell kids some readers don’t see Winnie’s knees, but…

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Are you a butt see-er, or a knee see-er???

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About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

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Comments

  1. Benji says

    January 21, 2016 at 6:08 am

    Amazing.

  2. Sam Bloom says

    January 21, 2016 at 6:21 am

    Best post ever.

  3. Kiera Parrott says

    January 21, 2016 at 7:14 am

    Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

  4. Christine Sarmel says

    January 21, 2016 at 7:48 am

    Gotta admit I didn’t notice Beekle’s behind either – until the first kid giggled. If the government ever needs top-notch behind-spotters, they should look to the second grade. As with so many things it seems to be a skill that deteriorates with age.

    Great post!

    • Travis Jonker says

      January 21, 2016 at 11:55 am

      This is true

    • Susan Kusel says

      January 23, 2016 at 8:12 pm

      For more on Beekle’s behind- see this post. http://bit.ly/1S2eMU7
      Thanks to Travis for the inspiration.
      I have never read Beekle aloud without having a reaction from a child to the Beekle butt in the tree.

  5. Mike Lewis says

    January 21, 2016 at 9:15 am

    Exceptional visual breakdown. I will be sharing this with my students immediately. You sir, are the people’s scholar.

    • Travis Jonker says

      January 21, 2016 at 11:55 am

      Thank you, sir

  6. Betsy says

    January 21, 2016 at 11:55 am

    Hilarious!!! And yes… Now I can’t unsee!!

    • Travis Jonker says

      January 21, 2016 at 11:58 am

      Ha! I still have the hardest time seeing the butt. I’m a knee see-er through and through.

      • Ruth McNally Barshaw says

        January 27, 2016 at 2:52 pm

        That’s funny. I saw the butt at first and it took me a long time to find the knees. I thought, there’s no way she’d paint a voluptuous butt like that on a children’s book… there *must* be something more to this illustration. That’s when I found the knees.

  7. M. Lauritano says

    January 21, 2016 at 12:42 pm

    I’ve definitely always seen it as a butt. Now that I’m looking at the crook of the closer knee, I’m feeling pretty uncomfortable! How did I not see it before?

  8. danielle @ this picture book life says

    January 21, 2016 at 12:45 pm

    Hahahahahaha. I think I’ve always seen the butt!! (Not afraid of what this says about me.) 🙂

    • Travis Jonker says

      January 21, 2016 at 12:47 pm

      I have a theory:
      butt see-er = genius
      Have you taken an IQ test lately?

      • danielle @ this picture book life says

        January 21, 2016 at 12:48 pm

        Bahahahahaha. That must be it. 🙂

      • Sam Bloom says

        January 21, 2016 at 2:24 pm

        Butt see-ers of the world unite! I didn’t actually realize those were actually knees until this post. So I’ll gladly subscribe to the butt see-er = genius theory.

  9. Travis Jonker says

    January 21, 2016 at 12:46 pm

    The number of butt see-ers is amazing to me.

  10. Joe says

    January 21, 2016 at 1:53 pm

    This is literally the greatest blog post ever written on an SLJ sponsored blog.

    I never saw the butt. Now it’s all I can see.

    • Travis Jonker says

      January 21, 2016 at 2:25 pm

      I’m putting this comment on my resume

  11. Heidi Grange says

    January 21, 2016 at 2:14 pm

    I didn’t see the butt at all until one of my students pointed it out to me. Now that I think about it, I’m amazed that only one student said anything about it (read it to every class).

  12. Jess Keating says

    January 21, 2016 at 2:29 pm

    Fellow butt see-ers unite! I still have a hard time seeing the knees, but this gif makes up for it. 🙂

  13. Joseph Miller says

    January 21, 2016 at 3:57 pm

    My eyes have been opened.

    Now, here’s the next question… how many Caldecott Medalists have butts (or faux butts) on their covers?

    Get on that question, Travis!

  14. Arika Dickens says

    January 21, 2016 at 4:43 pm

    Best read of the day! As someone who sees the butt, I couldn’t figure out why it was highlighted (because of course it’s a bum)…until I finally saw the knees. Very Duck!Rabbit! of Sophie Blackall 🙂

  15. Sandy Swartzentruber says

    January 21, 2016 at 4:43 pm

    Seriously….I saw the butt right away. It was days before I saw legs instead.

  16. Nan Stifel says

    January 21, 2016 at 5:46 pm

    Well, he’s just a little bare. Thanks for the best post ever on SLJ!

  17. Rebecca Flowers says

    January 21, 2016 at 5:49 pm

    Oh no, you’ve ruined it for me. I thought they were butt cheeks all along. Knees? No!

  18. Carl in Chalrotte says

    January 21, 2016 at 6:11 pm

    Is this one of those visual tests like “Is this a picture of an old lady or a pretty girl?”

  19. Jody says

    January 21, 2016 at 6:29 pm

    I always saw a butt; didn’t have the faintest idea those were knees. Oh dear.

  20. Amy Martin says

    January 21, 2016 at 6:33 pm

    I had NO IDEA that wasn’t a butt!!!

  21. Cheryl says

    January 21, 2016 at 9:19 pm

    Always a butt-seer here. Just didn’t want to say it out loud ?

  22. Shoshana says

    January 21, 2016 at 9:27 pm

    There’s no one gutsier than a butt-seer.

  23. Nina Lindsay says

    January 21, 2016 at 11:24 pm

    Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned from an 8 Year-Old

  24. Emma Otheguy says

    January 22, 2016 at 7:26 am

    I didn’t realize they were supposed to be knees until this instant!

  25. Kelli Jean says

    January 22, 2016 at 10:43 am

    It is amazing what kid’s see that we don’t!

    I would never have seen that.

  26. Crystal Brunelle says

    January 22, 2016 at 10:57 pm

    Knees were what I saw, but I totally get why people see the other. Too funny.

  27. Matthew Cordell says

    January 23, 2016 at 10:31 am

    Just thought I’d add my name to the “butt” side of the scale. I’d always thought it was bear buns too and will very lovingly continue to do so.

  28. Matthew Cordell says

    January 23, 2016 at 10:37 am

    p.s. man, I love this.

  29. Kristy Dempsey says

    January 23, 2016 at 2:30 pm

    Gasp! I have always seen the butt.

  30. Ed Spicer says

    January 24, 2016 at 2:22 pm

    My eyes! My eyes!

    • ismael says

      January 26, 2016 at 9:41 am

      eyes on the buns!!!!!i know we all see em’

      • ismael says

        January 26, 2016 at 9:43 am

        i cant stand you guys

  31. ismael says

    January 26, 2016 at 9:42 am

    i cant stand you guys

  32. ismael says

    January 26, 2016 at 9:44 am

    to bad they arnt buns. that would be funny

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