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Before StingRay, Lumphy, and Plastic came into her life, the Girl’s favorite toys were a two-eared sheep on wheels and a stuffed walrus named Bobby Dot.
In Toys Come Home (prequel to Toys Go Out and Toy Dance Party), Jenkins tells the story of how these new toys came to be loved by the Girl.
StingRay’s first days in the room weren’t fun at all. The conversations she had with Bobby Dot made her feel embarrassed about her voice and worried about meeting the bathroom towels. Her first night is spent squeezed under the dresser with the toy mice; her second night is spent on the floor in the cold, dark basement.
After Bobby Dot has an accident in the dryer, StingRay develops a closer relationship with the Girl. Together, they go to a toy store to find a replacement for the walrus. When StingRay sees the Girl pat Lumphy’s tail and it wiggles, she knows they are bringing home the right toy.
Months later during another birthday party, the friends meet Plastic, a red ball who is curious about the world. StingRay doesn’t have all the answers to her questions (she tells Plastic a “croissant” is a type of monster), but she does find out the correct (and satisfying) answer to the one question that Plastic and Lumphy can’t stop thinking about….’Why are we here?’
Zelinsky’s black-and-white illustrations show the toys looking at their world with trusting eyes. Many readers will want to own all three of these books.
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Toys Come Home: Being the Early Experiences of an Intelligent Stingray, a Brave Buffalo, and a Brand-New Someone Called Plastic