Books

25th Anniversary Edition. Catch. Throw. Uh-oh. The yellow ball is forgotten at the edge of the water. Little by little, so no one notices, the ball floats out to sea. All alone, it travels and drifts into a storm. Tossed by waves all through the night, it sails ashore next day to a hug and a home. Luminous pastels and a rhythmic text tell a story that is exciting and reassuring.

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Forgotten at the water’s edge, a ball is pulled into the ocean by the tide and eventually washed up on another shore. Told in a mere 28 words, this tale could be slight, but in Bang’s (The Paper Crane ; Ten, Nine, Eight) experienced hands, it becomes a fully realized drama. The yellow ball, tiny in a vast, vivid sea, bobs along and is viewed from the perspectives of a gull and a fish, and from “high” above a bridge. Then a storm arises, but the ball outlasts the gale and is finally deposited safely on a beach–where it is spotted by a boy. The final illustration depicts the sleeping lad hugging his newfound treasure. The one-word accompaniment to this gratifying scene at the end of an arduous journey is, simply and satisfyingly, “Home.” Ages 2-up. —Publishers Weekly