Title: A Ball for Daisy
Author: Chris
Raschka
Publisher: New
York: Schwartz and Wade, 2011
ISBN:
978-0-375-85861-1
Plot Summary:
Daisy is a sweet little dog who loves her red ball, but one play day at the
park things go dreadfully wrong and POP! The ball is no more. She is
heartbroken. We follow Daisy through her mourning and her return to joy as she
discovers that she has friends who truly care for her. And she gets a new ball.
Critical Analysis:
Told exclusively through Chris Rashka’s lively impressionist illustrations, A Ball for Daisy delights the young reader,
with a publisher-suggested age range of 3-7 years old. However, I find the tale
especially suited to 2-5 year-olds because of the many commonalities between
Daisy and themselves. Young children quickly identify with Daisy, who shares
their short stature, lack of verbal skills, and enthusiasm. The young child
empathizes strongly with Daisy’s emotional swings from exuberant joy to despair
and back again. Another similarity to young children is Daisy’s strong attachment
to a favorite toy—in her case a bright red ball.
Daisy plays with the ball, she sleeps with the ball, and she
takes the ball with her when she and her owner go out. Daisy thinks the world
of her ball, and the illustrations subtly confirm her world view as backgrounds
are frequently simple circles of hues using the wet-on-wet watercolor
technique, softening and blending the edges yet retaining the curved shape. Rashka’s
watercolor illustrations imbue the tale with pastel tonalities and plenty of
white space. The exception of the pastel hues is her bright red ball, befitting
the emotional driver of the tale. The pastels are sunny while Daisy plays with
her toy, but gradually darken as conflict with another dog leads to the
destruction of the ball. Grays begin to overpower the dominant pale yellow,
lending gravity to Daisy’s misery. Immediately upon the replacement of her
ball, Daisy’s fur returns to a bright white.
Raschka reaches out to the young reader through the bold, wavy
brushstrokes used on Daisy. The wiggliness of the line not only adds appealing
frenetic motion to the dog, but also invites the child to adopt Daisy as their
own creation. They see their own inexact artwork echoed in the perceived lack
of precision. Raschka imbues Daisy with emotion through the perkiness of her
ears and tail when she is joyous, and the droop of the same when she’s sad.
Rashka’s uses point-of-view masterfully. The illustrations
show the world from Daisy’s perspective—people and landscapes are seen only from
the shoulders down, the same view a child. Initially Daisy needs no other
point-of-view because all she needs is her ball, and that resides near the
ground. It is not until Daisy has been mourning the loss of her ball for a
while that her plane of vision expands. Her owner, a little girl, sits with
Daisy and offers comfort. It is intriguing that Raschka chooses this moment to fully
introduce a character that until this point existed only from the shoulders
down, yet has such a powerful influence over Daisy’s life, much like a child
doesn’t realize the importance of a parent until the child feels a need.
The low viewpoint makes multiple horizontal rows and
excellent choice for moving the plot along. The illustrations alternate between
horizontal panels and full pages; full-page illustration is used to emphasize
key emotional moments such as a peaceful dream with the red ball or the
excitement of an imminent walk. The moments of conflict are played out in a
single illustration spreading over two facing pages, thus calling attention to
Daisy’s dismay over her ball. Once Daisy is urged to go out again, the resolution
plays out in full panels.
The plot is simple and the illustrations are simple, but A Ball for Daisy can lead a child-adult
conversation in many directions. As it is another dog that breaks Daisy’s ball,
a discussion regarding bullies could be appropriate. The civil resolution of the story is a good
catalyst for a conversation about restitution and forgiveness.
Awards: 2012
Caldecott Winner
Additional Reviews
Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2011 : “Rarely, perhaps never,
has so steep an emotional arc been drawn with such utter, winning simplicity.”
School Library Journal, August 2011: “Raschka’s genius lies
in capturing the essence of situations that are deeply felt by children.”
Review created for course LS 5603 20-21 at Texas Woman’s
University
My Children's Reactions:
ReplyDeleteMy three-year-old adores this book and will likely not let me return it to the library. She insisted I read it several times in a row and then read it to herself several times a day for three days in a row (thus far). She loved to pretend she was the little girl petting the dog, and telling off the brown poodle(?) for breaking Daisy's ball. The seven-year-old thought the drawings were bad; he has a good appreciation for visual art, but is not yet sophisticated enough to understand how amazing such simple compositions can be. The eleven-year-old didn't participate.
I still like the book even after reading it over and over and over again. It's a keeper and is now on my Amazon wish list. Now, to return it to the library without a meltdown at the circulation desk.