Inside the guide

24 chapters, and what each one leaves you able to do.

1. 01

   A Button on the Pavement

   Mara finds a shiny button on the way to school, and decides to keep it, starting her day of wonder.

2. 02

   The Sun in Her Pocket

   In class, Mara notices the button glows, and it makes her pencil draw tiny sunbeams.

3. 03

   A Broken Button

   Mara's friend Joe accidentally breaks the button, and she gets angry, their friendship hurting.

4. 04

   A Thread of Light

   Mara accidentally touches the broken button, and a thread of light leads her out of school into a strange market.

5. 05

   The Button Vendor

   At a stall, an old man offers to fix the button, but for a price: one of Mara's secrets.

6. 06

   A Secret Told

   Mara whispers her fear of the dark to the vendor, and he fixes the button, which now glows softly.

7. 07

   The Golden Key

   The button now opens a small golden door in a garden wall, behind which is a meadow of talking flowers.

8. 08

   The Flower's Request

   A daisy asks Mara to carry a message to the Sunflower King in the next field, but she must cross a river.

9. 09

   The River Crossing

   Mara uses the button to make stepping stones appear, but she drops it in the water and has to dive in.

10. 10

    A Fish's Bargain

    A fish retrieves the button from the riverbed, but will only give it back if Mara gives him her hair ribbon.

11. 11

    A Lock of Hair

    Mara trades her ribbon, and the fish keeps it, leaving Mara bareheaded but with the button.

12. 12

    The Sunflower King

    Mara reaches the Sunflower King, who gives her a single golden seed in return for the message.

13. 13

    The Seed's Weight

    The seed is heavy, and Mara must choose to carry it and the button, or leave the button behind.

14. 14

    The Hidden Path

    Mara hides the button under her scarf and the seed in her pocket, but a crow steals the seed.

15. 15

    The Crow's Nest

    Mara climbs a tall tree to the crow's nest and finds the seed, but the crow returns and chases her.

16. 16

    A Feather for a Promise

    Mara gives the crow her button in exchange for the seed, and the crow flies away with it.

17. 17

    The Darkening Field

    Without the button, the sky begins to dim, and the garden turns grey and cold.

18. 18

    The Seed's Roots

    Mara plants the seed in a patch of ground, but nothing grows, and she realizes she needs the button's light.

19. 19

    The Crow's Return

    The crow appears with the button, offering to return it if Mara promises to give the seed to the Moon.

20. 20

    A Promise to the Crow

    Mara agrees, and the button shines again, but now it is warm and heavy with promise.

21. 21

    The Seed in the Moonlight

    Mara climbs a hill at night, the seed begins to sprout, and the button turns into a tiny sun.

22. 22

    The Sun Button's End

    The button opens the sky, the seed grows into a golden tree, and the garden is filled with light.

23. 23

    All the Buttons Back

    Mara returns home, her pocket full of shining buttons from the tree, and finds Joe waiting for her.

24. 24

    A Gift for a Friend

    Mara gives Joe a button, they share a smile, and the day ends with the garden glowing at dusk.