Story Summary
A dog and her favorite red ball are inseparable. Daisy loves her ball–she plays with it and sleeps with it. But what happens when Daisy’s beloved toy is accidentally broken? This wordless book shares the universal emotions of love, loss, and recovery through pictures–you and your child bring the words to the story.
Talk Before Reading
Show your child the cover of A Ball for Daisy and read the title. Ask him to point to Daisy.
Is Daisy a familiar or unfamiliar word for your child? Spend a minute with the cover to establish that Daisy is the dog’s name. If your young reader already knows the word “daisy” as a flower, talk about how this dog has the same name as a flower. Talking about words with multiple uses and meanings are great conversations!
Talk While Reading
There is not a “right” way to tell the story. You and your child will look at the pictures together and simply talk about what you see. Help your child to use his own words to tell the story by asking questions that will help describe Daisy’s actions and feelings.
What is Daisy doing with her red ball? How does she feels about her ball?
Some pictures are double-page spreads, and others are panel pictures with 3 or 4 panels to a page. Point to the picture as you talk to help your child understand the flow of pictures: left to right and top to bottom.
What’s on Daisy’s mind here? Yes, she wants to fix her red ball.
Acknowledge your child’s contribution by repeating what he said and extending it, if needed. If your child doesn’t have anything to say about a picture, give your comment and move on.
Talk Later
If your child has a favorite toy–the kind that must go everywhere he goes–talk about the connection to A Ball for Daisy.
You’re just like Daisy! You love that toy a lot, don’t you?
If a favorite toy is lost or broken, reading Daisy’s story again might help your child talk about those feeling of loss.
Book
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka. Schwartz & Wade Books, 2011.
