Toys in Space

One evening, a little boy leaves his toys outside on the lawn. Pink Horse, Small Sheep, Cowboy, Blue Rabbit, Dinosaur, Robot, and WonderDoll are amazed to see stars for the first time; they're also a bit freaked out by the prospect of an outdoor overnighter. "We need someone to tell us a story," says Blue Rabbit, and maternal WonderDoll takes up the challenge. She tells of seven toys (the same ones as in this book) being beamed aboard a spaceship by the Hoctopize, a lonely alien searching for its missing stuffed animal. In its search, the creature has stolen a thousand toys belonging to Earth children, and WonderDoll and company must convince the Hoctopize to return them. That task completed, now Pink Horse, Small Sheep, Cowboy, Blue Rabbit, Dinosaur, Robot, and WonderDoll must console the Hoctopize, still glum about its own misplaced Cuddles. They throw a cheer-up party, then head back home before their boy can wake up to find them missing. "But what about the story?" "Does the Hoctopize find its Cuddles?" "Will there be a happy ending?" the toys ask. "Of course," WonderDoll reassures everyone, her glance drawing readers' attention to a nearby bush and the cuddly-looking creature half-hidden beneath it. As is characteristic of Grey's mixed-media illustrations -- witty, inventive, and dynamic as ever -- careful looking is rewarded (Cuddles was there the whole time!), and the playful and entertaining what-really-happened? elements bring meta-style storytelling into a young child's realm of experience. elissa gershowitz