Book Descriptions

A wordless picture book begins with a black and white dog playing joyfully with a red ball. Daisy can’t even bear to sleep at the opposite end of the couch from her treasure and scrambles her way closer to cuddle it while she rests. A trip to the park offers the opportunity for more exuberant play with her toy, until an interloper intrudes: A brown dog takes her ball and then accidentally pops it. The double-page spread in which Daisy gradually realizes her ball is not going to achieve its full round bloom again is heartbreaking, as is Daisy’s woeful demeanor in its aftermath. But a subsequent trip to the park offers up a surprise: a blue ball, proffered by the brown dog’s owner. All is well. Chris Raschka’s extraordinarily expressive ink, watercolor, and gouache illustrations not only clearly convey the storyline through a mix of full-page and borderless panel illustrations but also exude emotion, giving young children ample opportunities to follow, articulate, and interpret the events unfolding on the pages. (Ages 2–5)

Winner of the 2012 Randolph Caldecott Medal

This New York Times Bestseller and New York Times Best Illustrated Book relates a story about love and loss as only Chris Rashcka can tell it. Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. In the tradition of his nearly wordless picture book Yo! Yes?, Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka explores in pictures the joy and sadness that having a special toy can bring. Raschka's signature swirling, impressionistic illustrations and his affectionate story will particularly appeal to young dog lovers and teachers and parents who have children dealing with the loss of something special.