A Ball for Daisy
(Caldecott Medal Winner)
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3.9 • 51 Ratings
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a wordless book with gentle, dreamlike spreads, Daisy, a feisty, black-eared dog plays with a beloved red ball indoors and out, before a climactic encounter with another dog in the park. Working loosely in ink, watercolor, and gouache, Caldecott-winner Raschka (The Hello, Goodbye Window) alternates between large closeups of Daisy curled up with the ball on a sofa, looking nervous when the ball lands behind a fence and smaller panels for action scenes. Raschka conveys a bevy of canine moods (ecstatic, expectant, downtrodden) with brush strokes reminiscent of calligraphy, while the red ball adds striking contrast. When a brown dog causes the ball to pop, Daisy stares at it, nudges it, sniffs it, and shakes it in her mouth before gazing helplessly at her owner. But returning to the park later, Daisy s forlorn expression turns gleeful as the same brown dog reappears with a blue ball, letting Daisy take it home. Readers should relate to Daisy s sadness over the loss of her treasured object while understanding that such losses can sometimes lead to unexpected gains maybe even a friend. Ages 3 7.
Customer Reviews
Fifth grade father
My four year old loved it, and my fifth grade class loved it. Watching the faces of my fifth grade class change as I "read" this to them was priceless. I used it as a writing prompt, and got more writing from most of my students than they had ever written before. They loved the idea of explaining Daisy's feelings through the book.
Hugely disappointed
If you are looking to read your child a story this is definitely not the book for you. There is not a single word in the entire thing ... Just pictures. I suppose this is good for stimulating imagination, which is what we ended up doing. However not at all ideal for bedtime story.
Lovely book!
This book is gorgeous and so sweet! My kids and I love to look at every picture-- the artist is amazing. Also, any dog lover would really appreciate this wonderful book for kids.