A BALL FOR DAISY by Chris Raschka

This deceptively simple, textless story about a pup that loses a beloved ball is rich with themes of love and loss that is universally digestible for even the youngest readers. Raschka's use of line and color results in a powerful story about Daisy's deep affection for her bright red ball. One fateful day, Daisy ventures out with the ball and is devastated when another dog pops and destroys her toy. Rauschka succeeds in depicting the various stages of grief and his ability to capture those feelings in Daisy's facial expressions is nothing short of masterful. In the beginning, the story moves clockwise around the page, the large red ball bounces around the page and in a sunny, yellow outdoor spread. Vertical lines are used to depict ominous fences and are craftily employed to create a jail-like enclosure with a sofa pattern to show the extent of Daisy's grief and despair. Raschka also uses dark washes of grays and blues to express Daisy's heart-wrenching sorrow in a manner accessible to even the youngest readers. When a new, blue ball is presented to Daisy, she leaves behind her suffering and reenters a world of yellow and greens. In the end, Raschka suggests that Daisy is mostly recovered and shows Daisy snuggled on the couch with her new blue ball. Daisy is content, but it is not entirely a happy ending. The rich illustrations and lack of text will invite conversation with young children. Careful readers will be aware that things aren't quite the same--Daisy will never forget her red ball. While this classic 32-page picture book can be a great comfort to a child who has suffered a tragedy, it will be broadly beloved by those who have suffered losses both big and small.  

(Printed picture book, fiction, age 4-8)