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Ball

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Ball
by Mary Sullivan

Houghton Mifflin Harcour. April 2013.
unpaged picture book/graphic novel
 
Whoever said dog is man's best friend never met the main character of this story. This dog's best friend is his bright red ball. He sleeps with the ball in his mouth so the moment his other best friend wakes up she can start throwing it for him. The little girl throws and throws the ball as she gets ready for school. The dog is devastated when she finally leaves for school and he has no one to play with. He wanders the house looking for anyone or anything to play with him. Out of desperation he even asks the cat. He finally resorts to the less-than-satisfying game of hiding the ball for himself. However when he hides it under the pillow a nap suddenly becomes more important. Dog then dreams of many adventures with his ball. Will his little girl ever get home so they can play ball again? This graphic novel picture book is absolutely charming. The illustrations along with the repetitive use of the word "ball" combine to make this nearly wordless picture book perfect for all ages.
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