A Ball for Daisy

Summary: Daisy is a dog with a favorite ball. Daisy is saddened when her ball is popped accidentally by a fellow dog at the dog park. Daisy is sad and her owner can tell. Daisy’s spirits are lifted when she returns to the dog park and is presented with a new ball to play with by her fellow dog’s owner. The story ends with Daisy happy and curled up with her new ball.

Bib Info: Raschka, C. (2011). A ball for Daisy. New York, NY: Schwartz & Wade Books.

Interest Level: K-3

Impression: This story touches upon the emotions associated with caring, friendship, and loss. I think children will be able to relate to the book and will enjoy the colorful, wordless story.

Reviews and Awards: ALA Notable Children's Books 2012, Booklist 06/01/11, Caldecott Medal 2012, Horn Book 04/01/12, Horn Book starred 09/01/11, Publishers Weekly Annex 06/13/11, School Library Journal starred 08/01/11

Reviews: Preschool-Kindergarten. 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. The title tells us her name is Daisy, but she is a pretty anonymous little thing, drawn by Raschka as just a few indistinct yet somehow expressive squiggly lines. What’s clear is that she loves playing with her ball, both indoors and out, until the fateful moment that another dog bites too hard on the ball and deflates it. In a heartaching series of nearly identical paintings, Daisy slumps into a sofa as depression overtakes her. Dogs, of course, don’t know that there are more balls in the world, which makes her glee at the end of the book all the sweeter. Raschka uses fairly sophisticated comic-book arrangements—long, narrow, horizontal panels, and so forth—but masks them with soft watercolor edges instead of sharp corners. The result feels like something of pure emotion. Pretty close approximation of what it’s like to be a dog, probably.
[Review of the book A ball for Daisy by C. Rashchka]. (2011, June 1). Booklist, 107, 19. Retrieved from: http://www.booklistonline.com/

The wordless story begins on the title page, where we see a scruffy little black-and-white dog about to be given a big red ball. It's clear from the start that Daisy loves her new toy. After playing with it inside, she cuddles up with the ball on the sofa and contentedly falls asleep. The real drama begins with a trip to the park, where Daisy and her little-girl owner play catch and have a moment of panic when the ball goes over a fence and has to be rescued. All goes well until another dog shows up, joins in the play, and pops the ball. It's a long walk home with gloomy Daisy, and the subsequent nap on the couch is lonely. In fact, the two contrasting double-page spreads of Daisy napping, with the ball and without it, show the ingenious artistry of Raschka, who communicates so much emotion through her posture. Throughout, Raschka uses broad strokes of gray and black paint to outline the dog, and varies the line to echo her emotions: bold, sure lines when Daisy is happy; shaky, squiggly lines when she is upset. Background watercolor washes also reflect Daisy's mood, going from bright yellows and greens to somber purples and browns. Raschka employs a series of horizontal frames to show sequential action, interspersed with occasional single paintings to show pivotal moments, such as the moment near the end of the book when Daisy gets a brand-new ball, this time a blue one, from the owner of the dog who destroyed her first one. It's a satisfying conclusion to a story that is noteworthy for both its artistry and its child appeal.
Horning, K.T. (2011, September/October). [Review of the book A ball for Daisy by C. Rashchka]. Horn Book. Retrieved from: http://www.hbook.com/

Use in library setting: This story could be followed by a song like “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”. For the younger students, the color of the ball can be practiced as it is tossed in a circle. The student can first say the person’s name they are tossing it to followed by the word red or blue (based on the color of the ball).