{"product_id":"toys-come-home-isbn-9780449815922","title":"Toys Come Home","description":"\u003cb\u003e“A bit like the great movie \u003ci\u003eToy Story\u003c\/i\u003e and a bit like the wonderful Kate DiCamillo book \u003ci\u003eThe Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane\u003c\/i\u003e. This is a great family book.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e on \u003ci\u003eToys Go Out,\u003c\/i\u003e the companion to \u003ci\u003eToys Come Home\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Here is the final book in the highly acclaimed Toys trilogy, which includes the companion books \u003ci\u003eToys Go Out \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Toy Dance Party\u003c\/i\u003e and chronicles the unforgettable adventures of three brave and loving toys. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Fans of the series, as well as newcomers, will happily discover how Lumphy, StingRay, and Plastic came to live with the Girl. In six linked adventures, readers will also learn how the one-eared Sheep became one-eared, watch a cranky toy meet an unfortunate end, and best of all, learn why it’s okay for someone you truly love to puke on you. This is perhaps the most charming of three inimitably charming books destined to become classics.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal \u003c\/i\u003eBest Children’s Book of the Year\u003cbr\u003e A Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year\u003cbr\u003e A Junior Library Guild Selection\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\"A timeless story of adventure and friendship to treasure aloud or independently. Wholly satisfying, this may well leave readers expecting to see the Velveteen Rabbit peeking in the bedroom window and smiling approvingly.\" —\u003ci\u003eBooklist,\u003c\/i\u003e Starred\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The best talking toy stories since \u003ci\u003eWinnie-the-Pooh.\u003c\/i\u003e” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A book destined to be read to children at bedtime for decades (nay, centuries?) to come. It is rare that prequels exceed the books they are meant to simply introduce, but this is one of the few.\" —Betsy Bird, \u003ci\u003eA Fuse #8 Production\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for the Toys trilogy:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This charming book makes ideal bedtime reading.\" —\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“A sure hit for reading aloud and a classic in the making.” —\u003ci\u003eThe San Francisco Chronicle\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Jenkins deftly penetrates the natural anxieties of childhood—the phobias, the insecurities, the self-doubts—without playing them down.\" —\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Has the nostalgic feel of a children’s book from an earlier time—part \u003ci\u003eWinnie the Pooh\u003c\/i\u003e, part \u003ci\u003eHitty\u003c\/i\u003e and part bedtime book. A perfect selection for family read-alouds.” —Bookpage\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A blend of \u003ci\u003eToy Story\u003c\/i\u003e and the stories of Jonny Gruelle and A.A. Milne. Young readers will enjoy exploring the warm, secret world of toys.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“There’s a heavy fragrance of A.A. Milne to the narrative, not just in concept but in style and in details such as Plastic’s fondness for Pooh-like “hums,” but the book has a cuddly sturdiness all its own.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Bulletin\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A timeless story of adventure and friendship to treasure aloud or independently. Wholly satisfying, this may well leave readers expecting to see the Velveteen Rabbit peeking in the bedroom window and smiling approvingly.\" —\u003ci\u003eBooklist,\u003c\/i\u003e Starred\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An utterly delightful peek into the secret lives of toys. Here is a book bound to be a favorite with any child who has ever adored an inanimate object.\" —\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal,\u003c\/i\u003e Starred\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You’ll love Lumphy, and StingRay, and Plastic. You'll laugh over their choice of birthday presents and hold your breath over Plastic’s encounter with the Possible Shark. Most of all, you'll never forget these three. I know I won’t.” —Patricia Reilly Giff, two-time Newbery Honor-winning authorEmily Jenkins has written many highly acclaimed books for children, including the popular award-winning chapter books\u003ci\u003e Toys Go Out, Toy Dance Party,\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eToys Come Home,\u003c\/i\u003e as well as a picture book that features the same beloved characters,\u003ci\u003e Toys Meet Snow,\u003c\/i\u003e which was named a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Notable Book and a \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e Best Children’s Book of the Year. She is also the author of \u003ci\u003eA Fine Dessert,\u003c\/i\u003e a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Best Illustrated Book of the Year; \u003ci\u003eWater in the Park,\u003c\/i\u003e a \u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e Editors’ Choice and a \u003ci\u003eBulletin\u003c\/i\u003e Blue Ribbon Book; and \u003ci\u003eLemonade in Winter,\u003c\/i\u003e a \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e Best Book of the Year. Visit her at emilyjenkins.com.\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Paul O. Zelinsky is the illustrator of \u003ci\u003eDust Devil,\u003c\/i\u003e a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Notable Book and an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award winner. He received the Caldecott Medal for his retelling of the classic fairy tale \u003ci\u003eRapunzel,\u003c\/i\u003e as well as three Caldecott Honors, for \u003ci\u003eHansel and Gretel, Rumpelstiltskin, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eSwamp Angel.\u003c\/i\u003e His illustrations for \u003ci\u003eToy Dance Party\u003c\/i\u003e were called “superlative” in a starred review by \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Learn more at paulozelinsky.com.CHAPTER ONE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Which There Is Nowhere Nice to Sleep\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStingRay has missed the birthday party.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe didn’t mean to. It was her first party, first party ever in the world to be invited to—and she missed it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe didn’t even know she was missing it. She didn’t know anything about the party until now, when it is already over.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe can tell the people are disappointed in her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHere is what happened:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStingRay woke up. She had never been awake before, but she could hear a scissor scoring the top of a cardboard box above her head. A box from a toy company. StingRay was squashed in that box, inside yet another box wrapped in shiny blue paper and tied with pink ribbon. She woke with a feeling that she’d been waiting, asleep, for a very long time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe dreamed while she slept: the same dream over and over, about a wooden crate filled with other plush stingrays, packed with flippers touching flippers, tummies touching tails.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was a mellow, cozy dream. The stingrays were still. The sounds were muffled.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA dream of something like a family, StingRay thinks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThough she isn’t entirely sure what a family is.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe word just came to her and she used it, inside her head.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI am an intelligent stingray, she thinks to herself. To just have a word come to me and to know it’s the right word. In fact, now that I consider it, I know a lot of things! For instance,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI know that I’m a stingray,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand that a stingray is an extra-special kind of fish,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand that blue is the very best color anything can possibly be,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand that people are people,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand kids are baby people,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eand that a kid would probably like to play with me someday.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI know all this stuff without being told. It’s practically like magic, the knowledge I have. I hope the rest of the world isn’t too jealous of me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe scissor scores the cardboard, and the wrapping is ripped off. Now StingRay comes out of her crispy nest of tissue paper and is pulled into the bright light of what she knows, just knows somehow, is a kitchen. White cabinets. A jar of spoons and spatulas. Finger paintings stuck to the fridge with magnets.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA kid smiles down at her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStingRay smiles back.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“She likes me!” says the Girl. “She smiled at me!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“That’s a nice pretend.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I’m not pretending. She really did smile,” the Girl insists.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe mommy kisses the Girl on her head. “Sorry it didn’t come in time for your party. There was a shipping delay, Grandpa said when he called.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e(A party? thinks StingRay. Was there a party?)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Still, today is your actual birthday,” the mommy goes on. “The day you were born. So it’s nice to have a present on this day as well, isn’t it?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e(I missed a party! thinks StingRay. A party I was supposed to go to!)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Her name is StingRay,” the Girl announces.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Oh?” The mommy crinkles her nose. “Don’t you want to call her a real name? Like Sophia or Samantha?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“StingRay.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Or maybe an animal name, like you gave Bobby Dot?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e(Who is Bobby Dot? wonders StingRay.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You could call her Sweetie Pie,” continues the mommy. “Or Sugar Puff. How about Sugar Puff, hmm?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Just StingRay,” says the Girl. “I like StingRay.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e. . . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUpstairs, the Girl’s bedroom has a high bed with fluffy pillows and a soft patchwork quilt. Atop the windowsill is a collection of birthday cards from her friends. There are shelves filled with books and games, puzzles and art supplies. A large ash–blue rocking horse resides in the corner. On the bed lie a plump stuffed walrus and a woolly sheep on wheels.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe sheep looks old.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnder the bookcase, StingRay can see several sets of tiny, sparkling eyes. She can feel them watching her. She can feel the eyes of the walrus, the sheep, and the rocking horse, too. But none of them is moving.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStingRay doesn’t move, either.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe house feels big. Too big.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere don’t seem to be any other stingrays here with whom to nestle. She longs for the comfort of her cozy dream.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Girl sets StingRay on a low shelf and trots out of the room. She has a playdate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen the family bangs the front door behind them and the toys can hear the rumble of the car starting in the driveway, the walrus galumphs himself to the edge of the bed, then hurls himself off. He executes a spectacular flip with a twist—and lands right side up.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhomp!","brand":"Yearling","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301499031781,"sku":"NP9780449815922","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780449815922.jpg?v=1767742875","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/toys-come-home-isbn-9780449815922","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}