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Oct 10, 2011

Jim rated it:

Toys Go Out, by author Emily Jenkins, is a short novel supposedly written for children but I think is really for other women to read for book clubs and gush about "how adorable" it is while gorging on a plateful of Jell-O blocks.

This story covers the adventures of Lumphy the stuffed buffalo, Stingray the stuffed... stingray (how adorable) and Plastic who doesn't know what the hell she is, sort of like a befuddled transgendered teenager, and the 7 year old girl they belong t More...

6 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 01, 2011

Jackie "the Librarian" rated it:

I didn't mean to read this book, but I made the mistake of opening it up (I was curious about both Plastic, and the knowledgeable stingray, and there were pictures, and I was lost). And, okay, I'm forty-five years old, and I still have some best friends who are toys. I have a bear named Ainsley, an Eeyore, and an okapi who never got a name, beyond Okapi. So I can totally relate to this Toy Story-like story, several chapters in the lives of a Little Girl's three best friends.

Stingray, L More...

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Nov 20, 2008

aubrey rated it:

ava and i just read this yesterday and today. it is a chapter book {not sure what age it's for} but we looooved it. it's the story of three main toys and a few supporting character toys who belong to a little girl. each chapter is very contained and has an ending. ava was all ears and at rapt attention the entire time, even laughing out loud throughout. the writing is fantastic, it was very entertaining for both of us and fun for me to read to ava. i won't be surprised if we reread it before it More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Oct 18, 2009

Valerie rated it:

Summary/A Thoughtful Review:
If I could give a book 6 stars, Toys Go Out DEFINITELY deserves it!! In this short chapter book (appropriate for all ages, but would make a FANTASTIC read aloud of primary students), readers become a part of the "toy world," following the experiences, challenges, and emotions of three toys owned by the Little Girl: Lumphy, a stuffed buffalo, Stingray, a stuffed stingray, and Plastic (who later discovers he is a ball!). In these six "linked stor More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 03, 2008

Lynne rated it:

This a fun book for the four to eight set. I like it as an introduction to chapter books. The book is set up as a series of stories which are complete in and of themselves. It is mostly text with some illustrations, so it allows for the child's own imagination. The younger readers (listeners?) may have a hard time sitting still at first.

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Jan 19, 2012

Sps rated it:

Twee, old-fashioned, innocent, and charming. Animate toys undergo character development with help of Winnie-the-Pooh-like song composition and a wise towel named TukTuk. Crises that force moral choices come in the form of punctures, peanut butter, abandonment, and throw-up smells. I'll snack on the other two volumes (Toy Dance Party and Toys Come Home) presently.

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0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 27, 2010

Avery rated it:

this book is about toys who think like they are real animals. the toys have many adventures like going to the bath tub, going to the washing machien and going to the beach. i think its a pretty good book because it is about toys coming to life and it has a lot of good parts in it but it could still have more adventures. The toys had an adventure about trying to find the little girl a gift for her birthday and they all get in a huge argument about witch gift to pick for the girl. but the best gif More...

1 comment like

Jan 05, 2012

Amy rated it:

I just finished reading this with my 3rd graders and they are a complex bunch. One class seemed to really like it....laughing out loud at certain parts, while my other class sat through much of it without reaction. Sort of disappointing. So, I will try to gauge it mostly on my more positive class. Kids seem to really enjoy when objects they are familiar with like stuffed animals and balls come to life and have a voice. While it took them a while to fall in love with the characters, when it More...

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Nov 22, 2011

Julie rated it:

Oh, this book is simply delightful. Read it out loud for ten times the magic. My kids (6 and 4) are both passionately attached to a few small "friends" and immediately connected with Lumphy, Stingray, and Plastic and their affection for The Little Girl, and vice versa. Reading the first chapter out loud, both kids were rolling with laughter at the StingRay's know-it-all, over-the-top panics ("Garbage Sharks!") and it never let up. I don't love the use of "shut up" More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 15, 2010

Kirei rated it:

I expected this to be just a funny story about toys, but it is really pretty philosophical. I don't know if that is a good thing--quite often it felt like it was copying off of the movie "Toy Story." (Toys whine: "What am I? What kind of animal am I?" "Does the girl like the other toy better than me?" Plus dog troubles. And then of course there is the Know-It-All Toy.)
But still it was amusing enough, even though "Toy Story" is actually much More...

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Dec 18, 2008

Danielle rated it:

There are parts of this book that just make you laugh out loud. If you've ever wondered what the world looks like from a toy's perspective, you'll enjoy this book.

For example:
"Food isn't dirty, or you wouldn't eat it. I have some nice clean food on me. I don't see that it's a problem that needs washing." - Lumphy the Buffalo on why he does not need to go in the dreaded washing machine.
"You're not a grown up until you're at least eight. When you More...

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Aug 19, 2010

The Holy Terror rated it:

This was incredibly boring (sorry, Andy!) and I just didn't fall in love with this story like I did with the Toy Story movies. It lacks all the charm that those movies exude. Maybe that's an unfair comparison, but I felt like this book was trying to capitalize on the popularity of the Pixar films.

The story follows a few toys and their day to day lives. Their lives are really boring. They worry about who gets to sleep on the bed with the girl (she has no name, apparently) and who get More...

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Jul 23, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

Six stories plus three friends plus one little girl the friends all love, add up to a charming story just right for readers ready to move up to chapter books. StingRay has been around the longest and the other toys all look up to her. After all, she knows so much more than they do - like what it means to be a grown-up: “You’re not a grown-up until you’re at least eight…[then:] you can drive a limousine, and brush your teeth without being reminded, and you can read all the words in the dictionar More...

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Dec 08, 2008

Annieb rated it:

Toys with personality! And they aren't your everyday stuffed bunnies or teddies. They stick together in the midst of events that are sometimes scary but always turn out OK. My favorite chapter was about the "possible shark," and I liked friendly old Frank, the washing machine, and the way he helped Lumphy the Buffalo through the ordeal of having peanut butter washed out of his fur. Some parts are laugh-out-louds for the grownups, too.

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May 12, 2009

Erin rated it:

This was our bed time read aloud. The boys all enjoyed it. This story is along the same lines of Toy Story where the toys have a life of their own beyond their child. I think Doll People has more charm and a better over all story but my boys would not want to read about "dolls". This a good read a loud as each chapter is kind of like a story on its own.

Jack's review of this book "I think it was good but long". He also really liked the washing machine characte

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May 23, 2009

lisa rated it:

"Toys Go Out" is more or less the workings of my childhood imagination written down on paper: the secret lives of toys when no one is looking. They move and talk and converse and play games and go about the house at their leisure, being sure to look innocent, and still, and unassuming as soon as their Little Girl walks into the room or wakes up in the morning. And, it's not just toys: washing machines talk and bathroom towels, too-- a cute array of cuddly characters with an equally cut More...

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Jul 27, 2011

Amy rated it:

I adored this book. Love Jenkins' voice and the characters--Stingray (who pretends to know more about the world than she does, a la Owl in the Pooh stories), Plastic (who goes through some self-discovery to determine that she isn't plastic at all), Lumphy the buffalo, Frank the washing machine, Tuk Tuk the yellow bathroom towel (who holds the wisdom of many bathroom secrets). Just loved reading this and Henry did too!

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Jan 21, 2011

10-11 Ashley rated it:

This book turned out good but mot the best book I have ever read but I still liked it a lot. This book is about toys that is owned to a little girl there is Buffalo a StingRay and Plastic. Buffalo and StingRay both know who they are and how they live in a book but Plastic does not know who she is and trys to find out. Will she ever find out who she is? If you want to know then your going to have to read this book!

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Dec 09, 2010

Sarah rated it:

The world is seen through the eyes of a knowledgeable stingray, a toughy little buffalo, and someone called Plastic. These are the Little Girl's toys, who have many adventures from the high bed to the beach to the washing machine. The story has a gentle, simple tone and reminiscent of Winnie-the-Pooh. The characters are silly and charming. A great choice for moving into readaloud chapter books. K-3.

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Jun 03, 2010

Mr. Steve rated it:

I really did enjoy this book. Very well written and a good read aloud for families. I recommend it quite a bit.

This book's problem for me, however (and it is not its fault), is I read it with The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane fresh in my mind - which I think just might be the best children's book I've ever read. This book can stand alone, but it doesn't stand too tall next to Edward IMO.

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Jul 17, 2010

Erin rated it:

I loved this book. I read it in less than a day; I could not put it down. The main characters are toys, all with distinct personalities. Emily Jenkins does an amazing job of making them come to life through lively dialogue and superb descriptions.

Each chapter is almost a short story in itself, and together it makes for an exceptional book that teaches valuable lessons about friendship, family, and compromise through wonderfully imaginative writing.

I have so many teaching More...

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Sep 20, 2011

Lorna rated it:

I'm delighted that I finally listened to this on audio. It was so sweet and charming.Stingray is a no-it-all and can be annoying but the sweetness of Buffalo, Plastic, Towel and even the Washing Machine make up for it, she does realize when she is horribly wrong and her friends seem to accept her. The audio edition was just perfect and the preformer Melanie Martinez did a wonderful job.

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Sep 10, 2010

Callie rated it:

I don't normally review books I read for my daughter, but I have to write about this one. We first read it together last year when she was in kindergarten, and again last month. Each chapter reads as it's own mini story, so it's easy for the little kids to understand too. I knew it was good, when I was the one bringing her the book and asking to read. The second time through was even better.

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Sep 08, 2011

Julie rated it:

I read this out loud to my kids - I had seen it suggested that it was a good one, particularly because it's written/formatted in a way that makes it easy to read aloud, which was true. It's a cozy read, simple and not scary at all. The toys had unique personalities and I especially loved the character of Plastic and her perspective. There were chances to explain some new words in here.

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Feb 02, 2012

Cheryl in CC NV rated it:

Not as incandescent as Milne, but explores many of the same feelings & interactions, with (obviously) much the same gimmick. If I were a child I would prefer it be a little book that I could carry around. The oversize design suggests that readers share it with other family members (perhaps a nine year-old could read it aloud to his little sister) and that would work well.

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Mar 24, 2009

Sayrah721 rated it:

My fourth graders sat absolutely still during interactive read-alouds with this text! Something about that age old question about what happens with our toys when we're not around captured us all! Our book fair had to reorder it in the middle of the week! We loved how each chapter was yet another adventure and it really helped my kids develop some of their own adventure stories.

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Feb 16, 2009

KatieLynn rated it:

Awww! What a cute little book about a buffalo, a stingray and a ball. The buffalo Lumphy, the stingray StingRay, and the ball Plastic, have adventures with towels, reading, getting stuck in shoes, being scared of the washing machine, and just about as many adventures as you could think of. These toys all have their own personalitites, making it a very enjoyable read.

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Dec 19, 2009

Judi rated it:

A funny book for grades 2-5 (and a good read aloud for younger kids) about the lives of the toys that belong to a little girl, but lead their own fascinating lives. In this book, the toys include a buffalo, a sting-ray, and a toy called Plastic that has to figure out who she is. Kids won't look at their toys in quite the same way after reading this super book.

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Feb 11, 2011

Beth rated it:

clever book. we've got about 10 pages left and willow loves it. story is told from the toys' point of view. plastic is really funny, doesn't know what plastic is for the first few chapters. Willow was very excited to figure out he was a ball before he figured it out. I loved tuk-tuk. (the towel in the bathroom-very wise character:)

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Jan 26, 2009

Kelli rated it:

A tale of three toys named Sting Ray, Lumphy the buffalo, and small red Plastic who doesn't know exactly what she is. The writing is Pooh-esque and the stories of washing machines and show and tell adventures lend themselves to brilliantly understated and funny dialogues that kids eat up but adults will like even more.

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