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160th out of 183 books
—
112 voters
Too Many Toys
Caldecott Honor winner and bestselling author-illustrator David Shannon makes readers laugh aloud when young Spencer's mountain of toys becomes overwhelming. A book that will be read again and again.
Spencer has too many toys! His father trips over them, his mother falls over them, and the house is overflowing with junk. Now its time to give some of the mountain of goodies...more
Spencer has too many toys! His father trips over them, his mother falls over them, and the house is overflowing with junk. Now its time to give some of the mountain of goodies...more
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
October 1st 2008
by The Blue Sky Press
(first published January 1st 2008)
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Personally, I find David Shannon's wide-eyed, manic characters to look a little frightening (maybe it's because their eyelashes look like stitches to me), but kids adore his books, and the exaggerated style does add to the humor. Little Spencer can't possibly get rid of any of his beloved toys, even when his dad steps barefoot on a Lego. The pages are crammed full of toys, making for fun I-Spy-ish lap reading, but might not translate from a distance for group reading. However, groups will love t...more
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Spencer has way too many toys. They pile up in his room, fill his sandbox and float in his bath. Everyone gives him toys, all of his relatives, his friends, and even the restaurants his family eats at. His parents reached a point after stepping on Legos and tripping on train tracks where something had to be done. Spencer's mother asks him to fill a box with toys he is willing to give up. But it isn't that easy. Deals must be made and agreed to before any toys can be put in the box.
Shannon alway...more
Shannon alway...more
If this author knew me and my family I'd swear this was about us. Julia is this little boy. I am his Mom. I've even done the same exact falling bit she does when she's carrying the load of clothes in her arms and I'm fairly positive my face looked like hers also although I hate to admit it. (I do want to note that there is no man looking like the husband she had on the previous page. I can do without that thank you. And before I forget, I'm pretty sure my butt and thighs don't look like hers. Th...more
That amount of toys that little Spencer accumulates is so out of control that his mother finally decides to make him get rid of some of them. The only problem that stands in the way is the main character Spencer . He can't stand to part with any of his toys, both tiny and large, because of the sentimental attachments he has made with all of them. The Author David Shannon reminds us of how children are constantly being bombarded with toys, whether it is one found in a cereal box or as a prize won...more
Summary
This book is about a young boy who has too many toys. His mother tries to make him understand that he has too many and that he doesn’t even play with all of them. So she tells him that he needs to get rid of some of them and the ones that he gets rid of goes in a box. They argue back and forth about what toys to get rid of and in the end there is a surprise that will shock every reader.
Response
““Your were right Mom!” Spencer called from his bedroom. “I do have too many toys. But we can’t...more
This book is about a young boy who has too many toys. His mother tries to make him understand that he has too many and that he doesn’t even play with all of them. So she tells him that he needs to get rid of some of them and the ones that he gets rid of goes in a box. They argue back and forth about what toys to get rid of and in the end there is a surprise that will shock every reader.
Response
““Your were right Mom!” Spencer called from his bedroom. “I do have too many toys. But we can’t...more
Spencer has a lot of toys. He has shiny toys, wooden toys, video games, stuffed animals, action figures, board games, puzzles, trains and cars and Legos. Every birthday and holiday, all of his family and friends give him a brand new toy, and he never gets rid of anything. But finally, Spencer’s mom decides she’s tripped over the last toy, and Spencer has to get rid of at least some of the toys.
This book reminded me of how I used to spread out all my toys in parades and things when I was little,...more
This book reminded me of how I used to spread out all my toys in parades and things when I was little,...more
David Shannon knows kids. This is the story of a boy with too many toys--they have overflowed his room and are taking over the house. Brand new and well-loved alike. His mom begs him to get rid of some, which results in a trial-like discourse as he pleads and counters each offer. When the box is finally full we seem to have reached a happy conclusion.
The final page is a hoot--which every parent will fully understand (the punch line seems to be aimed at parents rather than children.)
This was a f...more
The final page is a hoot--which every parent will fully understand (the punch line seems to be aimed at parents rather than children.)
This was a f...more
I have to admit, I'm a HUGE David Shannon fan. This new one is no exception--in fact, it just might be my favorite of his. It's about a little guy, Spencer, who has way too many toys. His parents keep stepping on them and tripping over them until finally it's time for them to go. Spencer's mother makes him choose a bunch to donate to less fortunate children, and when he's decided which ones to give away she loads them all in a box. When she comes upstairs to get the box, she finds all the toys d...more
Genre: Realistic fiction
Age:4-8
Summary: David is a boy who has TOO MANY TOYS! It is driving his mother crazy! David leaves his toys all over the stairs, in the bathtub, and on the floor for his mother to trip over. Finally, she has had enough, and orders David to give some of his toys away. After going through all of David's toys together, David and his mother finally fill up a large box. While David's mom is taking a short rest, he decides that the box that all of the toys are in looks like it...more
Age:4-8
Summary: David is a boy who has TOO MANY TOYS! It is driving his mother crazy! David leaves his toys all over the stairs, in the bathtub, and on the floor for his mother to trip over. Finally, she has had enough, and orders David to give some of his toys away. After going through all of David's toys together, David and his mother finally fill up a large box. While David's mom is taking a short rest, he decides that the box that all of the toys are in looks like it...more
This book has been my daughter's bedtime story the past two nights in a row. I love all of David Shannon's books and this one is no exception. The illustrations are amazing! The Legos are a particular favorite in our house. The story is one that will delight both kids and adults alike! Every parent can sympathize with the mother who is trying to get rid of some toys, while every child knows what it feels like to have your parent insisting that you "clean-out" your toys. The battle between parent...more
David Shannon's silly humor and crazy characters make this book exceptionally silly. Spenser has way, way too many toys. His mom tries to convince him to give some away, but she's only a little successful. A very silly ending makes it clear that anything can be a toy!
Shannon's larger than life illustrations are at play here, and every page is stuffed full of toys of every kind and color. The parents have the super-frazzled look of all beleaguered parents everywhere when they step on a Lego block...more
Shannon's larger than life illustrations are at play here, and every page is stuffed full of toys of every kind and color. The parents have the super-frazzled look of all beleaguered parents everywhere when they step on a Lego block...more
We love David Shannon's David books in this house. Some of those funny, crazy antics ring true to our clan and this book is no exception! Especially with the recent holidays and birthdays, we have toys coming out of our ears!! But when I finally get myself together, I'll sift through them when the kids are not around otherwise they'll pull a Spencer and say But I love them all! ...BTW, the quirkly, almost scary looking illustrations have grown on me and I can totally spot a David Shannon illustr...more
In this book, Spencer, a small boy, does not want to give up all of his toys. His mother makes a deal with him to give up some of his toys. The book has great deal of new vocabulary thougout. Spencer agrees to put some of his toys in a box to give them away. When Spencer's mom comes up stairs all of the toys are out of the box. Spencer then says that the box is his favorite toy. Spencer had created a spaceship out of the box and therefore made the box into a toy. This book also gets children to...more
Don't judge a book by its cover! At first glance my daughter wasn't really attracted to the book. It wasn't her first choice on the pile and was actually delaying it until she ran out of choices. I told her we should give it a chance and see if the story was good. Although the art in the book was what was so "out there", perhaps too colorful or or too big, we could definitely relate very well to the story - it's so personal! (Ha, ha) So much that in the end she said she was also going to make an...more
A little boy named Spencer has too many toys. Toys are everywhere, under his bed, all over the floor, spilling out of his closet. Spencer’s mom is tired of all of the toys so she gives him a box to put some away. But instead, Spencer finds his new favorite toy. The students could create posters to try and sell his toys. This will teach students about persuasive advertisments. This book could also be tied into to science by talking about simple machines and what different types of simple machines...more
After moving recently and feeling completely overwhelmed with the quantity of toys my kids had, I checked this out of the school library in hopes that it will encourage the kids to donate toys. It was way funnier than I expected, and was one of the few books that every member of my family laughed about with equal pleasure. Every excuse my kids have given as to why they can't donate a particular item (grandma gave that to them for their 4th birthday, etc) was all here! It was as if Davis Shannon...more
1 like · like · see review
This book is about a little boy who has too many toys. He has so many toys that he has to give some away. He doesn't play with some of them, but its still hard to give them away. Children can identify with this because he/she has probably felt the same way. When we give away our old things away to people who need them, we are helping them out in a great way; the idea of charity can be introduced here. Also, this book shows how creative you can be with plain materials. In the end, he found out th...more
May 02, 2012
Giulia Barrom
added it
I thought this book was really funny. It is about a boy names Spencer who has too many toys and they overfill his room everywhere. They are on every floor in his room and his mom gets really angry with him. She tells him he is going to have to give all of his toys away and that he has to keep his favorite ones. Spencer has a hard time with this because he likes all of them. In the end he gives them all away and keeps his favorite one. I think kids will really enjoy this book because it is about...more
The opening pages of this book reminded me of my boys because they were surrounded with toys that came from us, their grandparents, birthday parties, and yes, from McDee's. Lots of those little toys. They had Beanie Babies, Tonka Trucks, Legos, puzzles, games, trains, books, airplanes, and dolls. They had toys that worked and toys that were broken. They had toys in toy boxes, toys under the bed, toys in the bathtub, toys in the living room and toys in the kitchen. They played with my pots and pa...more
Every child can relate to having toys. Some have more toys than others, but with too many toys, it can cause problems within the house. Someone can get hurt by stepping on something or tripping over something. A most kids grow or accumulate too many toys, they have to get rid of some to keep order. Having to pick and choose between different toys to keep can be hard, but it sometimes gets a little easier when you can create a NEW toy from something as simple as a cardboard box!
Too Many Toys is a great book for young children. It was written by the same author that write the David books. The little boy in this story has too many toys and has seperation issues over them, even though he only plays with a select few. His mother has him donate some and places them neatly in a box. David then rips everything out of the box because he figures out that the box could be an amazing space ship! He uses his imagination to make a box something special to him.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE David Shannon books and his newest one does not disappoint. We bought it without reading it first and were glad we did. The kids love to see the illustrations (classic Shannon) of all the toys and pick out their favorites and renditions of familiar toys (Thomas? Woody?) Perhaps the bartering pages are a bit over their head although they like those pages, but the ending is fun for them too. They get it.
Genre: concept
Copyright Date: 2008
I like this book and so did the kids. This book brought up some issues while we read it. I believe by the things that one student said that they might not have many toys at home like Spencer and the other kids do. I felt that I could relate because in the classroom we have stepped on legos, we have found legos in some of the weirdest places! This is a cute book for both parents and kids!
Copyright Date: 2008
I like this book and so did the kids. This book brought up some issues while we read it. I believe by the things that one student said that they might not have many toys at home like Spencer and the other kids do. I felt that I could relate because in the classroom we have stepped on legos, we have found legos in some of the weirdest places! This is a cute book for both parents and kids!
Genre: Picture Book
Copyright: 2008
I had a personal connection to this book because I feel like my kids have about a million toys, and like the main character,Spencer, my kids love to play with boxes. I love how hard it is for the mom to haggle with Spencer about which toys to give up, and at the end Spencer finds out that the most simple of things, an old box, can be the best toy ever. It was so cute and completely realistic.
Copyright: 2008
I had a personal connection to this book because I feel like my kids have about a million toys, and like the main character,Spencer, my kids love to play with boxes. I love how hard it is for the mom to haggle with Spencer about which toys to give up, and at the end Spencer finds out that the most simple of things, an old box, can be the best toy ever. It was so cute and completely realistic.
This book soooo reminds me of myself when I was younger. I had so many toys and every year my mom wanted to go through them and throw the older ones out and I would be so devastated and have a reason why to keep every single one. I suppose its the pack rat in me. The illustrations in this book go so well with the book and are so contemporary showing games and toys that kids play with now.
I would use this book to activate schema.
I would use this book to activate schema.
This text is about a little boy named Spencer who can not keep his room clean due to having so many toys. His mother then attempts to help him clean his room by giving away the toys he no longer really plays with. Spencer is not happy about it. This is a story that many children will probably be able to make a text to self connection with. This book is also an excellent choice to teach expression during reading.
Too Many Toys by David Shannon is a picture book I would highly recommend. The book is about a young boy named Spencer. He has so many toys and constantly leaves them laying around the house. At the end of the book he discovers that he enjoys playing with a simple cardboard box, he finds his imagination. Shannon shows that even though we might have everything we want that is tangible, what we might really need is something so simple. It's a great book for children, and can be related to because...more
I think David Shannon is kind of wack. His art is sort of ugly and his text is just a mess when it comes to flow. And nice attack on video games, David Shannon! Video games can't "fuel your mind"? Obviously this dude hasn't played the likes of Etrian Odyssey.
That said, this book hit close to home because we have TOO MANY TOYS in our house. Our son (and now daughter) get toys all the time from multiple sources. Reading this book wants me to "weed" our toy collection.
Seriously, though, David Shan...more
That said, this book hit close to home because we have TOO MANY TOYS in our house. Our son (and now daughter) get toys all the time from multiple sources. Reading this book wants me to "weed" our toy collection.
Seriously, though, David Shan...more
A very good story about a young boy, Spencer who seems to have a dilemma most kids might wish they have. Too many toys and something needed to be done about it. Spencer and his mom wheel and deal on ways to solve the problem. Great ending. The story also demonstrated strong and vivid illustrations which the kids enjoyed during preschool storytime. After all, who gets tired of staring at too many toys!
I love this book! I think it is so clever. The topic is relevant for young children, the book is humorous, and the pictures are amazingly detailed. "Too Many Toys" would be a great book for students K-3rd grade. I also love the way this author writes in this book. This book would be great for teaching a text user lesson because a lot of the words are large or bold to emphasize the character's feelings.
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David Shannon is the author and illustrator of many highly praised books for children. Born in Washington, D.C., he grew up in Spokane, Washington. He graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, with a fine arts degree, and then moved to New York City. His editorial illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, Time, and Rolling Stone, and his artwork has appeared...more
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