Bibliography
Raschka, Christopher. 2011. A Ball for Daisy. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. ISBN 9780375958618
Plot Summary
Raschka, Christopher. 2011. A Ball for Daisy. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. ISBN 9780375958618
Plot Summary
Christopher
Raschka illustrates a wordless storybook about the love and loss of a beloved object. A dog, Daisy, loves
her red ball with all her being. Unfortunately, when she and another dog meet at the park, the second larger dog
accidentally destroys Daisy’s beloved red ball. After a period of mourning and
dealing with the loss of her beloved object, the second dog replaces the toy
with a blue ball. This revives Daisy’s happy mood and she makes a friend in the
process.
Critical Analysis
The story
transcends the setting to reflect the universal feeling of loss. A young child
would connect to this story because it is a true reflection of how the world
works. The story has good pacing. There is enough time to establish the dogs
love of the red ball, the loss of the red ball, through the other dog
accidentally destroying it, then a long period to mourn the loss.
The illustrations showing the mourning period show a darkening of the background to signify the loss. Once the other dog brings a new toy the colors brighten again. Additionally, for most of the book Raschka uses the whole page, but during the time of loss and during action scenes, the story is told through smaller boxes. This provides a logical series of events that lead to a clear resolution. Raschka’s style is not very clean and sometimes the main image is lost in the mottled background watercolors.
The illustrations showing the mourning period show a darkening of the background to signify the loss. Once the other dog brings a new toy the colors brighten again. Additionally, for most of the book Raschka uses the whole page, but during the time of loss and during action scenes, the story is told through smaller boxes. This provides a logical series of events that lead to a clear resolution. Raschka’s style is not very clean and sometimes the main image is lost in the mottled background watercolors.
The illustrations
are painterly and lean toward a minimalist look. The fluid brush strokes
reflect the movement of a dog and ball in motion. The cover is very engaging
because it shows a animated dog and a big red ball. These seem to both be
engaging images for young readers.
I enjoyed reading this book about Daisy. Having a dog of my own, who is also obsessed with a red ball, I can relate to the distress that comes from the loss of a loved belonging. This may be anthropomorphizing, but when the toy gets lost somewhere he does mope around the house, like Daisy.
I enjoyed reading this book about Daisy. Having a dog of my own, who is also obsessed with a red ball, I can relate to the distress that comes from the loss of a loved belonging. This may be anthropomorphizing, but when the toy gets lost somewhere he does mope around the house, like Daisy.
Honors and Review Excerpts
This book is a:
- Caldecott Award Winner
- New York Times Bestseller
- New York Times Best
Illustrated Book
- Booklist Notable Children’s Book: “This story about loss
(and joy) is accomplished without a single
word”
- School Library Journal Starred Review: “Ever the minimalist,
Raschka continues to experiment with
what is essential to express the daily
joys and tribulations of humans and animals.”
Connections
- This would be a good book to use with young children to
discuss losing and gaining things they
love.
- This book could also be used to discuss depression.
- Another book about love and loss illustrated by Chris
Raschka:
Howe, James. Otter and
Odder: A Love Story. Ill. by Chris Raschka. ISBN 9780763641740
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