Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic

I originally checked this book out of the libray for my 6 year old to read. She kept laughing and bringing the "funny parts" for me to read too, that this quickly became a family read alout. And just as quickly was returned to the library and purchased! The adventures keep a six year old enthralled, but also her older 8 year old cousin (and 30 something parents!!) You will laugh at all the characters foibles fear of trash eating sharks and vomit smell, 58 legged spiders, a very wise towel named Tuk Tuk, and the revelation that blue really is better than orange in the end! Buy it and enjoy!

Despite the subject matter, this book actually skews a bit older than one might suppose. The characters and humor will appeal to the 8-11 year old, if they can still acknowledge that they love stuffed animals. Wonderful pithy dialogue captures the foibles of the buffalo, a favorite bath-towel, plastic (!) and the somewhat flawed personality of stingray. My daughter and I were sorry to see it end.

Author Emily Jenkins has a uniquely absurd sense of humor, one that is not always appreciated by all parents (witness the mixed, puzzled response to her delightful earlier picturebooks, "Daffodil" and "Five Creatures"...) Her humor blossoms and finds a comfortable home in the longer, more irony-friendly medium of the short novel, where complexity is more readily appreciated... Anyway, this is a cute book that sort of picks up where the "Toy Story" films left off, exploring the emotional life of toys, or rather, of all the stuff that happens after the lights turn out. Stingray, Lumphy and Plastic are the three main toys in a certain little girl's life, and they each are anxious about their roles and status. Yet each toy also has its own moral center -- they worry and try to fit in, but ultimately are true to themselves and find contentment as a result. Lumphy, for example, tries to hide from the Little Girl after a peanutbutter-related mishap means a trip to the washing machine. He's never been in the washing machine before, and is terrified by the prospect. But when it turns out that the washer is a great conversationalist (even if the drier is not), Lumphy later connives to spill jam and jelly on himself whenever he feels in the mood for company. The book is filled with odd adventures like that -- it has an off-center, subtle, oddball sense of humor that the right type of clever, thoughtful child will really enjoy. Chances are their parents will like it too! Definitely worth checking out.

"Toys Go Out," by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky, is one of those increasingly rare books--Middle Grade fiction aimed at the younger reader. Perfect for the six-to ten-year-old audience (and even younger, if read aloud), "Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic" tells what happens amongst the toys when no one is watching. As the subtitle indicates, the movers and shakers in Little Girl's world are a stingray, a buffalo, and "someone called plastic." The first episode, "In the Backpack, Where it is Very Dark," finds the three friends (and rivals for Little Girl's affections) bouncing along in a backpack. They're afraid: Will they be thrown away? Are they going on a scary trip? Why does it smell so badly in the backpack? Fortunately they're the starring attraction at Show-and-Tell, their status as Little Girl's favorites confirmed. Over the course of "Toys Go Out," Stingray, Buffalo, and Plastic discover who they are and why each of them has a specific role in Little Girl's life. Stingray sleeps with Little Girl, Buffalo is a loved toy, and Plastic....Well, I'll let you discover who plastic is yourself. Plastic, Buffalo, and Stingray are marvelous characters, but there's a fabulous supporting cast in "Toys Go Out" as well. Sheep is perhaps my favorite. When Buffalo hides because he's covered in peanut butter and does not want to go into the washing machine, he hides in a soccer shoe in the closet. Sheep wanders in and the following episode transpires: "Sheep doesn't understand. She is distracted by the tasty-looking lace of the soccer shoe. It's not grass, and it's not clover, but it looks pretty chewable to the sheep. She settles down next to the shoe and has herself a lovely munch, pulling the lace out bit by bit. She hears a Wurrffle Wummmpffle noise, and it's irritating, but she doesn't let it bother her. Pretty soon the sound quiets down to nothing. When she is done chewing the lace, Sheep is mildly surprised to find herself in the closet. She burps and goes out to play pick-up sticks with the toy mice." Buffalo is responsible for the Wurrffle Wummmpffle, being trapped in the shoe. Sheep, as you have read, had other concerns. The toys also interact with an urbane, intelligent, yellow towel named Tuk-Tuk and a grumpy, lonely washing machine. "Toys Go Out" is highly recommended for children ages five to ten. It's funny, charming, and Zelinsky's drawings are a treat.

What a wonderful book for readers of all ages! It brought back good memories from my childhood, and also some insecurities. Jenkins brings the three main toy characters to life -- a sting ray, a bounding buffalo and plastic, which is kind of a mystery guest, but a toy nevertheless. Illustrator Paul Zelinsky adds further life and depth to each of the characters. There is lots of wonder and learning as the toys discover their identities. The book moves along at a quick pace, but every now and then I'd close my eyes and remember something similar from my youth. For example, one of the supporting cast is a washing machine, living a lonely life in the basement, with only the dryer to talk to. I remember when I was a little boy and afraid to go down in the basement and check out the wringer washer. I worred about getting caught by those wringers. There are also a lot of happy moments with the toys and the little girl who loves them. So pick up the book and read it with your little ones. And please, be careful in the basement, especially around the washing machine.