Toys Galore

PreS-Gr 2—This story in rhyme celebrates just about every toy imaginable. "Small toy, tall toy,/bouncing-ball toy./Hat toy, shoe toy./Stretchy GOO toy!" Characters done in a cartoon style play with everything from balls, trucks, and clay to "floaty, bubbly,/while-you-wash toys." The youngsters have ovalheads; big eyes; and faces of red, green, purple, orange, pink, and yellow; their hair is any color from black to orange. They play with "jump toys! Ride toys!/Slip-and-slide toys!" and a "futuristic outer-space car! [or a] Soap Box Derby/homemade chase car." This catalog goes on for pages and can get a bit tedious. However, the imaginative illustrations will hold readers' attention. Staake's detailed artwork is rendered digitally, and each page has numerous playthings or activities to look at or talk about with an adult. Children will enjoy discovering and naming items. The story takes a while to get to the point: that the very best toy is one's imagination, but the book is suitable as a lead-in for an art lesson or other creative activities. Pair it with a classic such as Crocket Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon or newer works like Barney Saltzberg's Andrew Drew and Drew (Abrams, 2012) for a tribute to the imaginative spirit.—Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA