A ball for Daisy

by Chris Raschka
schwartz & wade books, 2011
32 pages, hardcover

In the spirit of this wordless book, I first thought to post a wordless review and draw it all instead. But that wasn't working out so good – some pictures may be worth a thousand words, but mine are not.

Chris Raschka's, on the other hand, may well be. I "read" this with my three-year-old daughter, and after going through it once with her, pointing out the pictures, and helping her follow the flow of what was going on, she was ready to tell me the story. And she had a lot to tell! This is what makes wordless books so fun. Even pre-readers can take a turn reading to their mom and dad, and they will be so proud to do so!

The story is of a girl, her dog Daisy, and the ball she loves to chase. After playing indoors for a bit, they head to the park where they have some more fun chasing the big red ball. But what's a good story without some adversity to overcome? Another dog grabs the ball, starts running away with it, and, before Daisy and her owner can catch this other dog, IT POPS THE BALL!

Daisy is devastated – she tries to play with what's left of the ball, but it just doesn't work. Dog and owner head home where Daisy curls up on couch, and sadly drifts off to sleep.

Of course the book doesn't end on such a dour note. The next day they head to the park only to find the other dog there again, but this time its owner is there too, and she is holding a big blue ball! Daisy and the other dog run after each other chasing this new ball – I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Fun and very interactive picture book that will be enjoyed by pre-readers 2.5 year olds and up.