Book Description
for Toy Dance Party by Emily Jenkins and Paul O. Zelinsky
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
StingRay, Plastic, and Lumphy are back in another utterly charming chapter book from Emily Jenkins detailing what the toys are up to when the girl who owns them is out. From the opening chapter featuring a courageous and hilarious attempt at a snow rescue (involving plastic dinosaur placemats and a spatula) to the final pages involving an unfortunate (or not) incident with nail polish, this sequel to Toys Go Out (Schwartz & Wade, 2006) matches the first volume for winning appeal. There are revelations (who knew the toy mice had names?) and a significant new addition to the cast: a rubber shark the girl has christened Princess DaisySparkle (“Spark” to all who would be her friend). Spark’s arrival is a bit unsettling for insecure StingRay, but the real threat to them all is that the little girl is getting older. The silent Barbies seem to hold more and more of her attention. There’s not as much specialness for the toys anymore, and that’s a sad and scary thing. High humor, poignant tenderness, acute observations, and intense emotion true to the experiences of childhood are all part of this novel featuring unforgettable characters whose exploits will continue to satisfy and delight, whether shared as a read-aloud or read independently. (Ages 7–10)
CCBC Choices 2009. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2009. Used with permission.