The Story of Red Rubber Ball by Constance Levy

Title: The Story of Red Rubber Ball

Author: Constance Levy

Illustrator: Hiroe Nakata

Reading Level: Baby - Preschool

Hardcover: 32 pages

Publisher: Harcourt

A red rubber ball sat all alone on the grass and none of the passersby seemed to be interested enough to play with it. Caterpillar crawled by it, spider tried it, Bees buzzed it and ant missed it. "Woodpecker picked at it, poked at it, pecked at it, and pocked it all up". A hungry squirrel mistook the ball for a nut and gave it a kick. A passing cat made a beeline to it, but then chasing a butterfly made him forgot all about it. A sleepy snake coiled around it and a grasshopper leaped over it but, no one spied it. The little red rubber ball sat all alone battered by the sunshine and rain until a labrador stopped by it and took it home to keep.

My daughter and I fell in love with this picture book at first sight. I borrowed it from the library and we have already read it many times. The book is laden with rich, charming pastel watercolors that draws us back to it time and again. To make it even more interesting to the readers, there are numerous minuscule background details illustrated throughout the book like an ant lugging a flower or a leaf, a spider wearing multi-colored shoes (one for each leg), a ladybug napping on a branch, baby birds feeding one another, a baby chick looking up at the mobile in his nest and children merrily playing in the swing. My daughter LOVES looking at the tiny details (especially the mobile hanging over the baby chick's bed) but what excites her the most is the part where the resilient woodpecker (she calls it a penguin though, since its all painted in black and white) pecks, picks and pocks the red rubber ball. Irrespective of the gloomy start, the book has a cheerful ending which makes it a very satisfying read. This is one terrific book you wouldn't want to miss!!

My Rating: 5/5