Porko von Popbutton

by William Pène du Bois

A 274 pound thirteen-year-old boy whose sole passion is food is miserable when sent to boarding school until he accidentally gets on the hockey team.

Genres: Fiction

80 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1969

About the author

William Pène du Bois was an American writer and illustrator of books for young readers. He is best known for The Twenty-One Balloons, published in April 1947 by Viking Press, for which he won the 1948 Newbery Medal. As illustrator he was twice a runner-up for the Caldecott Medal.

The Twenty-One Balloons is the work by Pène du Bois that WorldCat reports most widely held in participating libraries, by a wide margin. His other most widely held works are five books written by others, which he illustrated (below), and the two Caldecott Honor picture books, which he also wrote.

From 1953 to 1960, Pène du Bois was art editor of The Paris Review, working alongside founder and editor George Plimpton.

Reviews

[Lobstergirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the book on gluttony in Pene du Bois' series on the seven deadly sins. A very fat boy goes off to boarding school. When the hockey team's skinny goalie goes down, Porko von Popbutton is recruited to stand in goal. Kind of a weird one, but great illustrations as usual for Pene du Bois. Never would have gotten published today - a lot of fat-boy mockery.

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly cute children's book. One of a series based on the seven deadly sins. Written in the late sixties, it is politically incorrect based on today's standards for interactions and appropriate approaches to teaching moral lessons, but the idea behind it is still somewhat solid. One of these days I'll track down the others just to see how they all balance out.

[Rollo Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book in the 6th grade, growing up in the 1970s. I discovered it tucked away on an old shelf or in the back of a cupboard in my classroom and ended up reading it when I was supposed to be doing something else. Once I finished it, I immediately read it again—two or three more times, always during class.

At the time, I was struggling with self-image issues, and this book resonated with me deeply. I loved that Pat, the main character, transforms from someone consumed by self-hatred into a respected athlete at his school. It was inspiring to see his journey.

Looking back, I’m not sure this story would be received the same way today. Pat endures cruel treatment because of his obesity, and some of the language and situations in the book are quite harsh. Still, at the time, it meant a lot to me.