The Little Button Girl

About the Book

What does a friendless girl do who is constantly picked upon in school for the clothes she wears? Ellie is not rich, her father died young, and her mother can’t afford to buy her clothes in a store. Her mother, being a seamstress, makes clothes for Ellie out of the remnants of material she uses to sew her customers’ clothes. Ellie loves to collect buttons and is constantly adding to her large collection. Will her passion for buttons lead her to the answer she is looking for to put an end to the students’ non-stop harassment of her? Ellie’s creativeness, a mother’s love and a stroke of luck will turn her whole life completely around.

About the Author

Christine Crugnola Petruniw was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to the most wonderful and supportive parents, Nina and Tony Crugnola, and grew up in Needham, Massachusetts. A highly motivated student who never missed a day of school, from kindergarten through high school, Christine graduated as Salutatorian of her class. She then went on to college at Northeastern University and obtained two degrees, a Bachelor of Science in Math and a Masters in Engineering. After completing a twenty-four year career as chief statistician for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston, Christine decided to return to college at Sacred Heart University to pursue a Masters of Education degree and become an elementary school teacher.While pursuing her Education degree, a course in Children’s Literature required her to write her own original children’s story. Now, a decade later, at the urging of everyone who has ever read it, here is the story she wrote. Christine’s sincere love of teaching children and her concern for their emotional well-being, supplies the inspiration for this story.