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A Ball for Daisy

This wordless picture book begins with a black-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 emotions, giving young children ample opportunities to follow, articulate and interpret the events unfolding on the pages. ©2011 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Chris Raschka

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 2-5
Age Range: Babies/Toddlers (birth – 3) PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Animals (Fiction) Empathy and Compassion Feelings/Emotions Wordless Books

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
Publish Year: 2011
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9780375858611

CCBC Location: Picture Book, Raschka

A Ball for Daisy