Forky in Craft Buddy Day

May 10, 2019

K-Gr 2-This enjoyable combination of Toy Story and Daywalt's "Crayons" books (The Day the Crayon's Quit, The Day the Crayons Came Home) starts with a beloved spork, Forky, going to school with his owner. The teacher kindly celebrates Forky's visit by holding a craft buddy activity, with the children making new friends out of a paper plate, a clothes peg, a juice box, and more. However when the children leave the room, the craft buddies come alive-and they're not happy. Forky saves the day by reminding them that they're loved by the children who made them, and of course, when the kids return to the room everything's almost as it was before. While this book isn't quite destined to be the classic, the colorful art here resembles children's drawings and should be a hit with the target audience and the language is irreverent and boisterous enough to hold readers' attention (there is a typo, though, "excrutiating"). VERDICT A solid choice for Daywalt's and Toy Story fans.-Henrietta Verma, Credo Reference, New York, NY

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2019
Bonnie so loves her homemade toy, Forky, teacher Miss Wendy holds a Craft Your Own Buddy Day so everyone can create a special toy from found or recycled materials.After the children finish their projects, they leave for recess--and the newly created toys come to life. Lovable Forky is excited to have new friends to play with, but he rapidly realizes the new toys have serious existential concerns. Juice Box Robot wants someone to drink from him. Miss Paper Plate and Paper Bag Puppet are looking for food to hold. Bubble Wrap Woman begins obsessively popping herself. Everyone is feeling out of their comfort zone, arguing and yelling, so Forky takes charge before the children return and wisely explains that to be a toy, made with a child's love and imagination, is now "the best thing to be." The cartoon drawings emulate a child's artistic hand, while a dual narrative that combines traditional prose text with speech bubbles moves the story along. In this companion to Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 4 (readers familiar with the franchise will recognize some of the faces in the background), Daywalt reiterates the series' message that toys and their owners love one other. However, the underlying theme of creativity with the simplest of materials will resonate as well. Bonnie presents white, and she has racially diverse classmates.The talking crafted toys hold considerable child appeal. (Picture book. 4-7)

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July 1, 2019
Bonnie brings Forky to school, which inspires a "Craft Your Own Buddy Day" in her classroom. Forky teaches the newly created toys how to accept who they are. Inspired by Toy Story 4, the franchise matters more than the story, which is fine since the target audience will love it. The illustrations, fonts, and speech bubbles are an amalgam of styles, leading to a chaotic layout.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)