Customer Reviews

Toys Overboard!

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Pedro was a Guatemalan worry doll and boarding a ship heading to America made him even more nervous than ever. Many of his friends came to see him off. They stood on the dock in their colorful costumes and waved goodbye to him as he boarded the ship. When he entered the cargo hold he saw an amazing array of colorful toys from all over the world and worried that he somehow didn't fit in. Worry dolls are known for that sort of thing, you know. Soon he'd have an unexpected adventure and he'd get to know a few of them quite well. In the meantime, Pedro felt like the odd man out. He nestled inside a crate for the night with some other toys, but a sudden storm began to toss the ship about.

"The ship was rocked. The wooden crate slid straight across the floor.

The wind picked up and then the crate slipped right out of the door!

The rain began to tumble down. The waves began to swell.

The crate inched over to the edge. It teetered, then it fell!"

Inside the crate everyone was frightened and began to yell to anyone who would hear, "toys overboard," but they went unnoticed. It looked like the toys were in terrible trouble. Anika, the Egyptian paddle doll, began to push the crate toward an island visible on the horizon. Pedro, Bayang, the Indonesian shadow puppet, Katrina, the Ukranian nesting doll and Ruru, the New Zealand kite realized their chances for survival were slim. Were they going to be rescued or would they end up at the bottom of the ocean?

I was very impressed with the quality of the illustrations in this book. They were very vibrant and extremely appealing and the cover only hints at the real treat the reader will find within. This is a story in rhyme that will be a big hit, especially if the reader has an expressive voice. I also appreciated the theme that everyone is different, but each person has a special gift that makes them unique. This would be an excellent story for circle or story time in the classroom setting.

This story has a great message about diversity, and the rewards of exploring or stepping outside of the box. The toy characters are very creative, authentic, and wonderfully drawn. What a great vessel for such a positive message. This will be a lot of fun to read to kids, especially with the rhythm and texture of the words.

What a wonderfully written and illustrated book! These characters go on such a fun adventure, what kid or adult wouldn't love this book. And to have a coloring book available online is a nice added bonus. Who is this creative writer, what a genius.

This book arrived on Friday and we've read it twice so far! I really like the positive messages in this book, but it never comes off as preachy - just about each character's individual talents and how they each help the group. It is very cleverly written. My girls (9 and 6) like the female characters and my son (8) likes the adventure. We printed out the coloring book from the website right away and they all had fun coloring the pictures just like in the book. I can confidently recommend this rhyming story and colorful illustrations to kids of all ages. Enjoy!