Toys Go Out [Paperback]

Emily Jenkins (Author), Paul Zelinsky (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: September 9, 2008 | Age Range: 7 - 10 years | Series: Toys Go Out

Lumphy is a stuffed buffalo. StingRay is a stuffed stingray. And Plastic... well, Plastic isn't quite sure what she is. They all belong to the Little Girl who lives on the high bed with the fluffy pillows.

Together is best for these three best friends. Together they look things up in the dictionary, explore the basement, and argue about the meaning of life. And together they face dogs, school, television commercials, the vastness of the sea and the terrifying bigness of the washing machine.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 3–In this utterly delightful peek into the secret lives of toys, three beloved playthings participate in a series of small adventures. StingRay is a plush stuffed animal who enjoys acting the know-it-all. Lumphy is a tough little buffalo who doesnt mind the occasional cuddle. And Plastic (whose physical appearance is kept mysterious for quite some time) is a sensible bouncy ball. They are the best friends of a little girl and they deal with the world around them in their own particular manner. From meditating on the scary unknown (washing machines) to understanding what makes an individual special, Jenkins gives readers an early chapter book with plenty of delightful insights, well-thought-out details, and loving affection for her characters. Here is a book bound to be a favorite with any child who has ever adored an inanimate object. Zelinskys beautifully detailed black-and-white illustrations are a lovely addition to this very special book.–Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

For beginning chapter-book readers, this secret-lives-of-toys story will entertain, inspire, and comfort as it relates the experiences of three engaging toy best friends: Lumphy the buffalo, plush StingRay, and Plastic. In six interconnected chapters, the distinctly drawn characters face concerns and situations kids will respond to: shy Lumphy's fear of the washing machine and having a bath; gentle Plastic's identity crisis; and know-it-all StingRay's embarrassing bathtub comeuppance, which ends happily with reassurances of her friends' love. There's even occasional "sibling rivalry," as the toys compete for beloved Little Girl's affections. The simple prose is clever and often hilarious, incorporating dialogue and musings that ring kid-perspective true, and Zelinsky's charming black-and-white illustrations, wonderfully detailed and textured, expressively portray character situations and feelings. Deftly blending humor and insight, the story will charm readers as the toys come to recognize and appreciate themselves, one another, and their deep connection. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 7 - 10 years
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (September 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385736614
• ISBN-13: 978-0385736619
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.4 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,459 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I write stories for children and adults. Picture books, middle-grade books, and novels. And a long time ago, personal essays.

I can be reached online at www.emilyjenkins.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Tons of Fun for the Younger Reader November 8, 2006

By Kelly Herold

Format:Hardcover

"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.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars NOT for a four-year-old September 12, 2011

By Robin

Format:Hardcover

The basic premise of this book, the lives of a girl's toys, is sweet and the stories are generally age-appropriate. But this book, which is listed as being geared for age FOUR to eight, talks about the toys being afraid of "AXE MURDERERS in the basement", not once, but THREE TIMES in Chapter 3.

I had to edit as I read aloud to my four year old - he does NOT need that explained to him at his age. I am very disappointed because the stories are *nearly* gentle. The "axe murderer" component is just not needed - wouldn't it have been sufficient to have the toys be afraid of the basement's spiders and unwashed socks? Now I'm going to need to pre-read the rest of the book to see if it's appropriate. Not what I expected from this type of book at all.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars ...A pleasantly absurd children's book November 28, 2006

By DJ Joe Sixpack HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

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.