A Ball for Daisy


A Ball for Daisy
Picture Book Review: A Ball for Daisy

A. Bibliography-Raschka, C. (2011). A ball for Daisy. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. [978-0-375-85861-1]
B. Plot Summary- Daisy is a happy dog who loves her red ball. She loves to play with her ball indoor and outdoor. Daisy’s owner takes her for a walk when her ball is taken by a brown dog. The brown dog accidently bites down too hard on the red ball and the ball pops. Daisy is very devastated. Her owner tries to comfort the gloomy daisy. The owner take daisy for a walk and daisy is excited when she sees the brown dog’s owner with a blue ball. The brown dog and Daisy play with the blue ball together. To daisy surprise, she is given the blue ball.

C. Critical Analysis- There are no words needed for Chris Raschka to be able to describe what Daisy is experiencing when her feelings of contentment, sadness and joy are so gorgeously expressed by his exquisitely use of watercolors and ink. The reader can “make-up” this story using Raschka beautiful illustrations. We can tell Daisy loves her red ball because of her facial expression and the use of bright colors use in the background. In contrast, we can see when Daisy becomes so sad and devastated because those bright colors change. When Daisy was feeling sad, Raschka used more greys, purples, and blues to convey Daisy’s feelings. The emotions are very visible through the colors and it helps the readers understand the feelings and emotions of the character.

This delightful book helps children of all levels relate and connect to Daisy’s sadness over the loss of her treasured object. This book also helps readers understand that some losses lead to surprising friendships. A strength I noticed was the use of emotion in the illustrations. This made it easy for any age to tell how daisy was feeling. One possible weakness is the use of multiple illustrations on a single page. Some younger students may not have the knowledge of sequencing and this might confuse them but this book could also be used as a great introduction to that skill.


D. Review excerpts
• 2012 Caldecott Medal Winner
• New York Times Best Seller
• School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
• Horn Book Fanfare Winner
• Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Notable Children's Books

“This story about loss (and joy) is accomplished without a single word, which is perfect—it puts you directly in the head space of its canine protagonist.” BOOKLIST

“In my opinion, it depicts the emotional lives of children in a way that is both engaging and profound.” HORN BOOK

E. Connections
Similar Books:
• Daisy Gets lost (9780449817414)
• Wave (9780811859240)

Share wordless picture books with smaller groups of children within the classroom. This allows for all children to see the images on the pages. (Random House 2011)

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