Toy Story, Too! Can You See What I See? Toyland Express by Walter Wick

Walter Wick is back, with toys sporting a fresh coat of paint and a jolly toy story to tell.

His just-published Can You See What I See?: Toyland Express: Picture Puzzles to Search and Solve (Scholastic, 2011), Wick provides much more than intriguing search-and-find puzzles to solve. The book is itself a toy story, recalling for young readers the premise of last year's movie, Toy Story III, as we see a wooden toy train, innocent of paint, a jumble of carefully crafted parts in the "Maker's Workshop," as readers are challenged to find "a pencil, a pail, a ball of string..." and other items. The next double-page spread offers a full-page picture of the train being painted, with more picture puzzles to spot, and, as in many of Wick's picture book creations, the "lens" zooms out to show the completed toy train the center of a "Toy Store" show window display, followed by "Happy Birthday Box," in which the boxed set of train, trees, and houses has just been unwrapped at a party.

In subsequent spreads we see the train set up ("All Aboard") and ready to go; traversing a carefully constructed tinker-toy trestle ("Mountain Pass"), and tootling past a fully-furnished doll house, just visible through the little dwelling's windows in "The Passing Train."

But the tale eventually turns wistfully tristful. The following spread shows the train and other toys "Forgotten" in the attic, some broken, all dusty and deserted as only cast-off toys can seem, lit only by a stray dust-mote-filled sunbeam streaming from the garret window. But this is not to be a sad, James Whitcomb Riley "Little Boy Blue" ballad, but a joyous story of toy resurrection, as the toys are sold at a "Yard Sale," and find their reincarnation in a happy "In For Repairs" workshop scene which recalls their beginnings, ending happily with the "Toyland Express," restored and repainted, back on track in a new and welcoming home.

Wick's books are a wonder, with educational activities and aesthetic mixed-media qualities that knock your socks off. Sly wit and humor permeate the work, textually and visually, especially in the partially concealed presence of Wick's iconic little wooden bead man, Seymour, (a bit of delicious wordplay in that name!) to be spotted on each picture page. Walter Wick & Co. is an industry all to itself. Wick, who seems to have found himself an enviable career in which he is allowed to create and to play with delightful toys, can be seen at work in his fabulous workshop here. Great for gifts, a must-have delight, a great entry in this genre.

Secret Life of Playthings, Part II: Toy Dance Party by Emily Jenkins

Lumphy, the stuffed buffalo, did not go with the Girl on winter vacation.

StingRay did not go, either. She thought she would. The Girl even told her that she would, because she and StingRay sleep together, every single night, on the high bed with the fluffy pillows. But in the end, when the suitcases were packed and the car loaded, the Girl and her parents drove away--and StingRay was left behind.

The house is cold.

Things are changing. Lumphy, StingRay, and Plastic the bouncy ball can feel it. The Girl, called Honey by her parents, is growing up. For the first time she goes away on vacation and does not take one of them with her. She takes dominoes and playing cards, and worst of all, the silent Barbies in their vinyl box. The top toys wait, and the others wait--Sheep, Highlander the Horse, and the toy mice, wondering what has become of Honey.

Could she be lost? Lumphy convinces himself, against Plastic's dire warnings, that as the brave and woolly buffalo, he must go out in the falling snow to find her. Daringly, he tosses a plastic baby stegosaurus place mat out the window and launches himself onto it to toboggan down the lawn and out into the world where the Girl has gone. But alas, when he ventures off the mat, he sinks helplessly into the deep snow. Immobilized, he calls for help and StingRay follows, armed with a spatula for a shovel and a diplodocus place mat for a sled. But it's no good; StingRay is soon stuck in the snow hole with Lumphy, too.

Plastic watches from the window. There is no one else who can help. Sheep is on wheels. The toy mice are too small, and the rocking horse in the corner can't move around. Plastic stands watch for many hours as the snow floats into the hole where her friends are....

Late that night a car pulls into the driveway. The people are home.

The mom comes inside...but the Girl stops in the driveway and looks into the yard. There is a spatula there, in the light from the porch, and two dinosaur place mats.

Seconds later, she is lifting StingRay and Lumphy into her warm arms.

"Lumphy, you sweetie buffalo!" she cries. "Are you okay? And StingRay, you're all soggy! Did you fall out of my bag when we left the house? Let me take you inside!"

Although the girl knows that her toys have a life of their own when no one can see, she cannot help growing up and away from them. Even when she kindly takes Lumphy, StingRay, and Plastic along to a sleepover, they find themselves ignored, tossed into a jumble of dress-up clothes and jounced to the floor as the girls jump on the bed and style their Barbies' hair.

Another intimidating event occurs when Honey receives a package from Grampa which emits a scary "Grunk. Gru-Grunk!" It's a hollow rubber shark, and the three toys are sure that it is going to eat all the toy mice and possibly themselves as well.

Rumpa, lumpa, rumpa lumpa,
Frrrrrr, frrrr
Boing, boing, boing!
Around through the pantry,
And down another flight of stairs,
Fwak! Gobble-a, gobble-a,
Bonk!
Into the basement, where the shark will not find them.

In the basement the toys are consoled by Frank, the singing washer, and his inarticulate partner, dryer, and soon the toys are dancing to Frank's bouncy songs in a rocking and rolling toy dance party.

But soon they remember the helpless toy mice upstairs with a dangerous predator. What if...? The thoughts are too horrible to imagine, and StingRay comes up with the only possible solution: stuff the shark full of garbage so that he can't eat another thing. Upstairs with the kitchen garbage bag they go, and into the shark's gaping mouth go orange peels, lettuce leaves, and coffee filters, until his hollow insides bulge. There is only time to hide the remains of the garbage under Honey's bed when the people return.

Although the Girl knows of the hidden lives of her toys and quickly takes the blame for them when the under-bed garbage bag is discovered by her parents, the toys still grieve for the loss of their "specialness" with her. When the toys abandon caution and make a horrible mess decorating the Barbie box with her nail polish, Honey again covers for them and seems to understand the hurt behind their mischief.

"I know I haven't played with you much lately." She pets Lumphy's woolly back. "But I love you. And I will always keep you." she swears. "StingRay, Plastic, and Lumphy, Sheep and Daisy Sparkle. Even Highlander and the mice. I'll keep all of you forever."

Emily Jenkins' even-better sequel to her 2007 best-seller Toys Go Out convincingly builds a world where stuffed toys and even washers, dryers, and bath towels have a life of their own, known only to the still-empathetic child. Each character--the gruff, brave, and not-so-bright Lumphy, the bossy but cautious StingRay, the perky, intellectually curious Plastic, and the stoical Sheep, yearning for clover and his lost ears--have unique and lovable personalities. Even Frank the Washer, the finally restored Dryer, and the worn but wise Tuk-Tuk the yellow towel have their own voices. Superbly illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Paul Zelinsky, Toy Dance Party and its wonderful characters join Winnie-the-Pooh, the Velveteen Rabbit, and Edward Tulane in the storybook Toys Hall of Fame.

For my review of Toys Go Out and other such notable toy characters, see my post of March 15, 2007, here.

Too Much of a Good Thing! Too Many Toys by David Shannon

Author-illustrator David Shannon, creator of the hilarious No, David! series, obviously knows whereof he speaks in his soon-to-be published new book, Too Many Toys. His hero Spencer presides over what can only be called an embarrassment (even a harrassment) of riches.

Spencer had too many toys. They covered the floor of his bedroom. They spilled down the stairs and into the living room. He had big toys in the backyard and little toys in the bathtub....

Everyone gave toys to Spencer. Of course, his mom and dad did. But also did Grandma Bobo and Poppy and Grandiddy and Auntie Mim and Uncle Fred and Cousin Drew. They gave him toys for every holiday (even the Fourth of July) and his birthday. He also got toys from his friends on his birthday and on their birthdays, too, when he went to their parties. He got toys at the drive-through with his Kidburger and at school for having lots of Peaceable Person Points, and at the dentist's and doctor's when he didn't squrm.

When hauling a load of laundry through the obstacle course that the toys created, Mom takes a fall and has finally had it. "You have TOO MANY TOYS," she cried. ("That's impossible," thought Spencer.) Mom orders Spence to fill a large box with toys he can live without, an ultimatum which ushers in phase two--the dreaded negotiation phase.

"How about this Alien Space Ninja. You haven't played with it in years!"

"But I was just about to!" Spencer said.

"Fine," said Mom. "But this can definitely go." She put down the Alien and picked up a filthy, one-eyed bunny.

"NOT MR. FLUFFERS, Mom. How COULD you? Grandma Bobo gave me that on my fourth birthday, and I'll never be FOUR again!"

"Tell you what," countered Spencer. "I'll let you have the pig, but I get Johnny Choo Choo."

"What ARE you, a LAWYER now?" asked his mom.

Finally Mom plays her best card. "How about all of them go into the box or you don't watch any TV for a week!" Somehow Spencer discovers he can part with a lot of the toys and at last the box is filled. Mom makes room in the car trunk and heads upstairs for her prize, a whole box of relinquished toys, only to discover them in a pile in the hall and the box apparently AWOL.

"Spencer! What have you done? We had a DEAL!" she screamed.

"You were right, Mom!" Spencer called from his bedroom. "I do have too many toys. But we can't give away this BOX!"

There sits Spencer inside the box, at the controls of his make-believe spaceship.

"It's the best toy ever."

Grownups who have been there and done that will love it, kids will get it, and everyone will have a few laughs at the happy problem of too many toys in the house. David Shannon's characteristic illustrations work well here with his all-too-realistic dialogue in this thoroughly modern toy story.