Raschka executes this use of art to create a story perfectly in his picture book A BALL FOR DAISY. Art in children’s literature uses “line, color, texture, and composition work together to create art, much as character, setting, plot, theme, and style work together to create literature” (Vardell 2008, 53). Wordless picture books tell a tale through art instead of words. Daisy returns home with her beloved new blue ball to curl up happily on the couch and fall contentedly asleep. Daisy and her owner return to the park to meet up with the rambunctious brown dog, her owner, and a new blue ball for Daisy! Soon, Daisy and the brown dog become new friends as they play happily at the park with the new ball. Raschka perfectly captures the devastation and loss of a child losing their favorite toy in the illustration of the next 9-10 pages. Next, a rambunctious brown dog tries to join in the fun only to pop Daisy’s beloved toy.

First, the ball gets stuck behind a fence where Daisy’s owner must rescue it.

Alas, Daisy and her red ball have several heartbreaking mishaps at the park. This 2012 Caldecott Award winning tale starts out with Daisy and her owner walking to the park to play fetch with Daisy’s beloved red ball. This beautifully illustrated and wordless picture book tells the story of Daisy, a small white dog with a love for walks and toy balls.

A ball for daisy book