 
|
Spencer, like many kids, has too many toys. They were bestowed upon him by his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. They were awarded to him at birthday parties, fast-food restaurants, school and doctors’ offices. They were presented at holidays and special occasions - even on the Fourth of July.
Eventually, the pile of toys clutters his room and overflows into the rest of the house. When Dad steps painfully on a stray Lego and Mom gets tangled in some train tracks, the problem becomes obvious. “We’re going to get rid of some of them,” she says.
But Spencer, like many kids, isn’t ready to part with any of his beloved collection. In normal child-like fashion, he tries every trick in the book to reason with his box-wielding mother. “Grandma Bobo gave me that,” he says.
After quite a lot of wheeling and dealing there is finally a box of toys ready to be removed from the house. But when Mom goes to load it in the car, she finds the toys back on the floor and the box nowhere to be found. Spencer, like many kids, has a great imagination, and an empty box is just too tempting.
Once again, David Shannon takes a typical child-like view and runs with it. In much the same fashion as his No, David! books, Too Many Toys is sure to become an instant classic. His bright and bold artwork features Spencer and his family drawn in Shannon’s characteristic style, with overly exaggerated features and lots of color. While not the most attractive bunch, they sure do add to the comedic flair of the tale. For every parent who has come to realize that sometimes the box is more interesting than the toy, this one hits really hits home.
|
|
Too Many Toys