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| Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic | 
 enlarge | Author: Emily Jenkins
Creator: Paul Zelinsky
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy New: $7.50
You Save: $9.45 (56%)
New (38) Used (32) from $6.70
Avg. Customer Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 81586
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 128
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 6.9 x 0.9
ISBN: 0375836047
EAN: 9780375836046
ASIN: 0375836047
Publication Date: September 12, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: New book - shelf wear - may have remainder mark
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Product Description
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. A very nice person to belong to.
But outside of the Little Girl's room things can be confusing. Like when Lumphy gets sticky with peanut butter on a picnic, why is he called "dirty"? Or when StingRay jumps into the bathtub, what will happen to her fur? And where in the house can they find the Little Girl a birthday present that she will love the most?
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.
With all the appeal of a classic, here are six linked stories form Emily Jenkins, and illustrated by Caldecott winning Paul O. Zelinsky that showcase the unforgettable adventures--and misadventures-- of three extraordinary friends.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
 Toys With a Heart October 25, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
What a wonderful book for readers of all ages! It brought back good memories from my childhood, and also some insecurities.
Jenkins brings the three main toy characters to life -- a sting ray, a bounding buffalo and plastic, which is kind of a mystery guest, but a toy nevertheless.
Illustrator Paul Zelinsky adds further life and depth to each of the characters. There is lots of wonder and learning as the toys discover their identities.
The book moves along at a quick pace, but every now and then I'd close my eyes and remember something similar from my youth.
For example, one of the supporting cast is a washing machine, living a lonely life in the basement, with only the dryer to talk to. I remember when I was a little boy and afraid to go down in the basement and check out the wringer washer. I worred about getting caught by those wringers.
There are also a lot of happy moments with the toys and the little girl who loves them. So pick up the book and read it with your little ones. And please, be careful in the basement, especially around the washing machine.
Tons of Fun for the Younger Reader November 9, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
"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.
...A pleasantly absurd children's book November 28, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
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.
Just Plain Fun! October 3, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
What a great book for read-aloud, or beginning readers. The toys have personalities, they're funny and touching at the same time, and the book leaves you wishing that you had toys like these. I've already bought this book for my grandkids, and a copy for me, too!
Extremely highly and enthusiastically recommended ! February 7, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Some books, you don't want them to end. I wish there were already about 10 sequels with more of these stories. Like Cynthia Rylant's The Van Gogh Cafe (for older children), the book consists of a series of six magically related short stories. The kinds of problems that the toys have are familiar to children - am I the favorite? What kind of creature am I? If I am a "person," am I going to try to be a good one? How can I get the privileges that others have without losing my freedom in the process?
The know-it-all character makes things up that scare the others or make them feel bad; not only have we all known people like that, we've also all been like that ourselves at times. The insecure characters are very insecure, and the wise characters are really wise, and friendly characters pop up unexpectedly. I've read a lot of books about dolls and was just thinking it would be nice to read something from the toys' perspective. Here it is! The book is honest and still sympathetic, and it's really great for learning where insecurities and fears come from and learning that it's better to face them, because gifts and friends come in unexpected places (like the basement!).
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