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Toys #1
Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic
Here is the first book in the highly acclaimed Toys trilogy, which includes the companion books Toy Dance Party and Toys Come Home and chronicles the unforgettable adventures of three brave and loving toys.
In these six linked stories from Emily Jenkins, and illustrated by Caldecott Medal winner Paul O. Zelinsky, readers will meet three extraordinary friends. Lumphy is a stuffed buffalo. StingRay is a stuffed stingray. And Plastic... well, Plastic isn't quite sure what she is. They all belong to the Little Girl who lives on the high bed with the fluffy pillows. A very nice person to belong to.
Together is best for these three best friends. Together they look things up in the dictionary, explore the basement, and argue about the meaning of life. And together they face dogs, school, television commercials, the vastness of the sea, and the terrifying bigness of the washing machine.
A Parents' Choice Silver Honor Winner, an ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book, and an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Book Award Winner, Toys Go Out is truly a modern classic.
From the Hardcover edition.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
197 people are currently reading
2626 people want to read
About the author
Emily Jenkins
103 books166 followersEmily Jenkins is the author of many books for children, including the recent picture books Tiger and Badger, illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay, and Princessland, illustrated by Yoko Tanaka. Her chapter books include the Toys series, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky; she is co-author of the Upside-down Magic series. Emily Jenkins lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 677 reviews
January 1, 2024
This is so charming! Loved it on audio. The toys interact with each other and also the bath towel and washing machine. Such rich lives playing out when the humans are not around or sleeping. Definitely want to look up the sequels.😻
December 1, 2011
I didn't mean to read this book, but I made the mistake of opening it up (I was curious about both Plastic, and the knowledgeable stingray, and there were pictures, and I was lost). And, okay, I'm forty-five years old, and I still have some best friends who are toys. I have a bear named Ainsley, an Eeyore, and an okapi who never got a name, beyond Okapi. So I can totally relate to this Toy Story-like story, several chapters in the lives of a Little Girl's three best friends.
Stingray, Lumphy and Plastic are a "knowledgeable stingray, a toughy little buffalo, and someone called Plastic." We are introduced to the three friends as they awaken to a possibly perilous situation. They are in the dark, stuffed into a backpack with NO IDEA of where they are going. Plus, it smells like a wet bathing suit. Stingray tries to think calming thoughts, and hopes they aren't going to the vet. Or to the dump. Or Lumphy feels sick to his stomach, and Plastic hums, as she does when she is nervous. Where could they be going???
They are pulled out of the backpack and look around. They see small chairs, a sunny window, and a circle of fidgety faces. They are there to be shown and told. :)
Other chapters delve into the "Serious Problem of Plastic-ness" where Plastic learns what she is, with the help of TukTuk the towel.
Lumphy goes with the Little Girl on a picnic and gets very peanut-buttery for a buffalo. Can he survive the washing machine? And, Stingray learns about water and dry-clean-only stingrays, such as herself.
The three friends are adorably flawed - Stingray is an ill-informed know-it-all, Lumphy takes every opportunity to get dirty after his washing machine adventure, and Plastic almost gets eaten by a possible shark, which had me VERY WORRIED. I may have petted my Okapi a little more after reading this chapter.
For everyone who loves toys.
Stingray, Lumphy and Plastic are a "knowledgeable stingray, a toughy little buffalo, and someone called Plastic." We are introduced to the three friends as they awaken to a possibly perilous situation. They are in the dark, stuffed into a backpack with NO IDEA of where they are going. Plus, it smells like a wet bathing suit. Stingray tries to think calming thoughts, and hopes they aren't going to the vet. Or to the dump. Or Lumphy feels sick to his stomach, and Plastic hums, as she does when she is nervous. Where could they be going???
They are pulled out of the backpack and look around. They see small chairs, a sunny window, and a circle of fidgety faces. They are there to be shown and told. :)
Other chapters delve into the "Serious Problem of Plastic-ness" where Plastic learns what she is, with the help of TukTuk the towel.
Lumphy goes with the Little Girl on a picnic and gets very peanut-buttery for a buffalo. Can he survive the washing machine? And, Stingray learns about water and dry-clean-only stingrays, such as herself.
The three friends are adorably flawed - Stingray is an ill-informed know-it-all, Lumphy takes every opportunity to get dirty after his washing machine adventure, and Plastic almost gets eaten by a possible shark, which had me VERY WORRIED. I may have petted my Okapi a little more after reading this chapter.
For everyone who loves toys.
October 19, 2009
Summary/A Thoughtful Review:
If I could give a book 6 stars, Toys Go Out DEFINITELY deserves it!! In this short chapter book (appropriate for all ages, but would make a FANTASTIC read aloud of primary students), readers become a part of the "toy world," following the experiences, challenges, and emotions of three toys owned by the Little Girl: Lumphy, a stuffed buffalo, Stingray, a stuffed stingray, and Plastic (who later discovers he is a ball!). In these six "linked stories," we are first introduced to the three friends as they experience the tosseling trip in the Little Girl's backpack together while being transported to "Show and Tell." In the other stories, we feel their anxieties and fears as Plastic questions his own identity, determined to know what it means to be "plastic," peanut butter-covered Lumphy must face the WASHING MACHINE, and Stringray discovers he is a "Dry Clean Only" stingray meaning he cannot float! Through the poetic-like structure of this text, Emily Jenkins' work speaks of self-discovery, adventure, imagination, and most importantly, friendship! Her choice of words creates beautiful images in the reader's mind, taking us to a world familiar, yet so foreign at the same time! I cannot wait to start this as a read aloud with my first grade students!
If I could give a book 6 stars, Toys Go Out DEFINITELY deserves it!! In this short chapter book (appropriate for all ages, but would make a FANTASTIC read aloud of primary students), readers become a part of the "toy world," following the experiences, challenges, and emotions of three toys owned by the Little Girl: Lumphy, a stuffed buffalo, Stingray, a stuffed stingray, and Plastic (who later discovers he is a ball!). In these six "linked stories," we are first introduced to the three friends as they experience the tosseling trip in the Little Girl's backpack together while being transported to "Show and Tell." In the other stories, we feel their anxieties and fears as Plastic questions his own identity, determined to know what it means to be "plastic," peanut butter-covered Lumphy must face the WASHING MACHINE, and Stringray discovers he is a "Dry Clean Only" stingray meaning he cannot float! Through the poetic-like structure of this text, Emily Jenkins' work speaks of self-discovery, adventure, imagination, and most importantly, friendship! Her choice of words creates beautiful images in the reader's mind, taking us to a world familiar, yet so foreign at the same time! I cannot wait to start this as a read aloud with my first grade students!
September 30, 2014
Rarely am I as disappointed in a 'classic' as I was with this one. I will admit that this was a DNF. I was reading this out loud to my 5 year old, but finding so little enjoyment in it that I almost jumped up with joy when he finally told me that he didn't really care all that much for it. I was getting so weary reading it and really would have wanted nothing more than to never see the book again, yet I reiterated to him whether he would just like to pause and then resume the reading later, but he said "no, let's just return it to the library, mommy, it's not a very good book".
I'm still not sure though why it just wasn't to our liking. The premise should have been fine, after all my kid has a plethora of stuffed animals which he revers. He has a furry shark (who doubles as a pillow), a funny orange monkey with long arms and legs, stuffed dogs, dolphins, teddies, a lamb with a bell inside its belly, a little satin crab filled with rice, a silky soft otter in a handbag, a blue elephant with a lullaby music box inside, and his favorite: a skinny pink pig who could be straight out of Elephant and Piggie. But they all seem to have a lot more character, spunk and brains than the toys in this book. Which may be why we got so exasperated with them only four chapters into the story.
It did feel unimaginative, mundane, boring, obnoxious and derivative. It's possible my son might have enjoyed this more had he been younger, say three or four. It's a safe story, not too scary. I do suspect that a lot of three year olds could get fidgety though, as the story drags quite a bit.
A little research reveals that we have already read two books by this author previously. They were Water in the Park and What Happens on Wednesdays. We found both to be equally bland, equally tedious and equally unremarkable. I am going to rate this book two stars, as I did have a hint of sympathy for the Stingray character, and I reckon that some kids will take to this story. Meanwhile, we can recommend the books about Old Bear as a charming, witty alternative series about toys who come to life. These toys are clever, resourceful and caring, and all in all just way more interesting.
I'm still not sure though why it just wasn't to our liking. The premise should have been fine, after all my kid has a plethora of stuffed animals which he revers. He has a furry shark (who doubles as a pillow), a funny orange monkey with long arms and legs, stuffed dogs, dolphins, teddies, a lamb with a bell inside its belly, a little satin crab filled with rice, a silky soft otter in a handbag, a blue elephant with a lullaby music box inside, and his favorite: a skinny pink pig who could be straight out of Elephant and Piggie. But they all seem to have a lot more character, spunk and brains than the toys in this book. Which may be why we got so exasperated with them only four chapters into the story.
It did feel unimaginative, mundane, boring, obnoxious and derivative. It's possible my son might have enjoyed this more had he been younger, say three or four. It's a safe story, not too scary. I do suspect that a lot of three year olds could get fidgety though, as the story drags quite a bit.
A little research reveals that we have already read two books by this author previously. They were Water in the Park and What Happens on Wednesdays. We found both to be equally bland, equally tedious and equally unremarkable. I am going to rate this book two stars, as I did have a hint of sympathy for the Stingray character, and I reckon that some kids will take to this story. Meanwhile, we can recommend the books about Old Bear as a charming, witty alternative series about toys who come to life. These toys are clever, resourceful and caring, and all in all just way more interesting.
November 20, 2019
So cute! This is the perfect read-aloud I think. Definitely checking out the rest of the series.
May 18, 2019
Toys Go Out, by author Emily Jenkins, is a short novel supposedly written for children. But I really think it's more going to appeal to women to read for their book clubs and gush about how adorable it is and debate its mysterious metaphoric meanings, all while pounding a plateful of Jell-O blocks.
This story covers the stunning adventures of Lumphy the stuffed buffalo, Stingray the stuffed... stingray, and Plastic who doesn't know what the hell she is or why she is there (sort of like watching Jar-Jar Binks in the Phantom Menace) and the 7 year old girl they belong to.
At best this book is a horrible rip-off from Winnie-the-Pooh, Toy Story and the ilk, and it's as humorous as all of the women in the comment section below singing this song to me. But I'd more classify this in the category of useless femimania such as plastic flowers, giving greeting cards for EVERYTHING, scentsy candles, discussing emotions, and the movie 'Titanic'.
This story covers the stunning adventures of Lumphy the stuffed buffalo, Stingray the stuffed... stingray, and Plastic who doesn't know what the hell she is or why she is there (sort of like watching Jar-Jar Binks in the Phantom Menace) and the 7 year old girl they belong to.
At best this book is a horrible rip-off from Winnie-the-Pooh, Toy Story and the ilk, and it's as humorous as all of the women in the comment section below singing this song to me. But I'd more classify this in the category of useless femimania such as plastic flowers, giving greeting cards for EVERYTHING, scentsy candles, discussing emotions, and the movie 'Titanic'.
November 22, 2011
Oh, this book is simply delightful. Read it out loud for ten times the magic. My kids (6 and 4) are both passionately attached to a few small "friends" and immediately connected with Lumphy, Stingray, and Plastic and their affection for The Little Girl, and vice versa. Reading the first chapter out loud, both kids were rolling with laughter at the StingRay's know-it-all, over-the-top panics ("Garbage Sharks!") and it never let up. I don't love the use of "shut up" but if I'm reading aloud I can edit on the fly; otherwise pure gold.
February 15, 2024
Not sure when I posted the previous review, but I just read this out loud with niece + nephews…as good as I remembered! We banished the younger two about halfway through (wrestling/bed time) but the big kids kept asking for another chapter, right up to the end.
***
This feels like a great read-aloud bedtime story choice. Very seriously considering it for my next overnight youth group adventure.
***
This feels like a great read-aloud bedtime story choice. Very seriously considering it for my next overnight youth group adventure.
April 4, 2008
This a fun book for the four to eight set. I like it as an introduction to chapter books. The book is set up as a series of stories which are complete in and of themselves. It is mostly text with some illustrations, so it allows for the child's own imagination. The younger readers (listeners?) may have a hard time sitting still at first.
August 19, 2010
This was incredibly boring (sorry, Andy!) and I just didn't fall in love with this story like I did with the Toy Story movies. It lacks all the charm that those movies exude. Maybe that's an unfair comparison, but I felt like this book was trying to capitalize on the popularity of the Pixar films.
The story follows a few toys and their day to day lives. Their lives are really boring. They worry about who gets to sleep on the bed with the girl (she has no name, apparently) and who gets to go to the beach. The toys know they're toys, but then, they don't. I can't understand how a plastic ball can have a conversation with a towel. The stingray thinks it's a real stingray and tries to swim in the bathtub, and it also turns on the water by itself somehow. In this story things that aren't toys also have consciousness and it gets to be unbelievable and stupid.
I didn't like this book. It was a chore to read and if a friend hadn't recommended it I wouldn't have finished it, even though it's such a short book. I won't bother with the sequel.
The story follows a few toys and their day to day lives. Their lives are really boring. They worry about who gets to sleep on the bed with the girl (she has no name, apparently) and who gets to go to the beach. The toys know they're toys, but then, they don't. I can't understand how a plastic ball can have a conversation with a towel. The stingray thinks it's a real stingray and tries to swim in the bathtub, and it also turns on the water by itself somehow. In this story things that aren't toys also have consciousness and it gets to be unbelievable and stupid.
I didn't like this book. It was a chore to read and if a friend hadn't recommended it I wouldn't have finished it, even though it's such a short book. I won't bother with the sequel.
December 1, 2019
Oh god I can so hear Ellen DeGeneres voice in my head when Plastic talked. If this ever turned into a tv show for kids, that's who should voice her.
November 15, 2021
Kodi and I really enjoyed this story together. I made sure to give each character a fun little accent. Stingray was British of course. Lumphy the Buffalo was a southern accent. Plastic was a soft natured little one. We ordered the next two. We hope they come in soon.
February 28, 2024
I read this one years ago with Adam and just now with Violet and she really enjoyed it. It’s has an offbeat vibe, I mean, one of the main characters is a ball named Plastic, but it is still sweet and fun.
February 9, 2013
Toys Go Out is a children’s fantasy chapter book written by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. The book was published in 2006.
This book follows a story structure that is similar to the movie “Toy Story”. It is about toys that come to life and have all sorts of fun. The main characters are a plastic ball, a toy buffalo, a stuffed stingray, and a one-eared sheep. Some of my favorite moments in the book were when the buffalo gets covered in peanut butter, and fears being sent to the washing machine.
The characters in the book all have very defined personalities, similar to people. I found this interesting because the toys experience all sorts of very human emotions, including jealousy, worry, anxiety, joy, self-identity and friendship. I think that this book is appealing to young readers because it is filled with humor, but it also helps students to learn about friendships, relationships, and growing up.
One thing that bothered me about the book was the formatting. There were strange paragraph breaks, and sentences that suddenly moved to the line below. It was confusing for me, because there really seemed to be no reason for the odd formatting. I was distracted by the paragraph breaks, and the sentence structure. I am not sure it would bother a young reader, because they are still trying to understand how paragraph formatting works, but it was certainly a distracting factor for me.
As a reader, the book provided me with a sense of wonder, and I could absolutely picture myself as a young reader picturing my own toys coming to life. The plot is not very deep, however. It simply follows the life of the toys, and not a lot of deep issues arise. It was a fast read for me, but it wouldn’t take a child very long either if they stuck with it. I would recommend this book for students in grades 2-4. The book is very whimsical, and the chapters are not too long.
This book follows a story structure that is similar to the movie “Toy Story”. It is about toys that come to life and have all sorts of fun. The main characters are a plastic ball, a toy buffalo, a stuffed stingray, and a one-eared sheep. Some of my favorite moments in the book were when the buffalo gets covered in peanut butter, and fears being sent to the washing machine.
The characters in the book all have very defined personalities, similar to people. I found this interesting because the toys experience all sorts of very human emotions, including jealousy, worry, anxiety, joy, self-identity and friendship. I think that this book is appealing to young readers because it is filled with humor, but it also helps students to learn about friendships, relationships, and growing up.
One thing that bothered me about the book was the formatting. There were strange paragraph breaks, and sentences that suddenly moved to the line below. It was confusing for me, because there really seemed to be no reason for the odd formatting. I was distracted by the paragraph breaks, and the sentence structure. I am not sure it would bother a young reader, because they are still trying to understand how paragraph formatting works, but it was certainly a distracting factor for me.
As a reader, the book provided me with a sense of wonder, and I could absolutely picture myself as a young reader picturing my own toys coming to life. The plot is not very deep, however. It simply follows the life of the toys, and not a lot of deep issues arise. It was a fast read for me, but it wouldn’t take a child very long either if they stuck with it. I would recommend this book for students in grades 2-4. The book is very whimsical, and the chapters are not too long.
November 21, 2008
ava and i just read this yesterday and today. it is a chapter book {not sure what age it's for} but we looooved it. it's the story of three main toys and a few supporting character toys who belong to a little girl. each chapter is very contained and has an ending. ava was all ears and at rapt attention the entire time, even laughing out loud throughout. the writing is fantastic, it was very entertaining for both of us and fun for me to read to ava. i won't be surprised if we reread it before it is due to go back to the library. side note: i really despise books that have children or characters acting abnoxious, disrespectful or whiney. i.e. ways that i would prefer my children not to act. this book was great, the stingray is a little know-it-all who exaggerates but i think ava thought it was so much fun and laughed at a lot of the stuff the stingray said. there is one time where she says "shut up" but all in all, it had good, respectful, kind characters.
January 19, 2012
Twee, old-fashioned, innocent, and charming. Animate toys undergo character development with help of Winnie-the-Pooh-like song composition and a wise towel named TukTuk. Crises that force moral choices come in the form of punctures, peanut butter, abandonment, and throw-up smells. I'll snack on the other two volumes (Toy Dance Party and Toys Come Home) presently.
June 5, 2016
This book came so highly recommended as a wonderful read aloud for young children (3 & 4 years old). I disagree! What parent wants to tuck their 3 year old into bed at night with a story where the "know it all toy" tells all the other toys how there are ax-murderers in the basement!! And this is just one of a hundred instances where we had to completely change the language or storylines of the book! I guess if you like performing bedtime improv... This book would be great! Otherwise... It is not appropriate!
March 15, 2016
This book was great i liked hw the toys had great imaginations
February 7, 2017
Lumphy the stuffed buffalo, Plastic the ball and Sting Ray are three of the Little Girl's favorite toys. They have a variety of adventures, mishaps and learning experiences. My favorite part is when Lumphy gets peanut butter on him. So he hides from the Little Girl so she won't put him in the scary washing machine in the frightening, deep, dark basement. But then he meets Frank, the Washing Machine. Frank is lonely in the basement and Lumphy ends up enjoying the wash cycle and the dance he does inside. From that point on, he regularly finds ways to return to visit Frank. I love that gentle lessons like often things aren't as scary as they might appear or that you might even enjoy a new experience that had seemed frightening are woven into darling stories of these three toys with unique personalities. And while this cute, brief chapter book could certainly be enjoyed with just the text, Zelinsky's black and white illustrations add even more charm to this book.
February 26, 2020
I am having a hard time explaining why I love this so much - this book and its sequel are maybe my favorite of the kids audio books we've been listening to in the car. I want to say that it is like Toy Story, if Toy Story was more realistic, but that is absurd because this is about a toy stingray, toy buffalo, and plastic ball that can talk and move around, and have ongoing complicated emotional friendships with the washer and dryer, and some random towels, etc. It is just kind of a perfect kids book. The world of these toys, and what they can and can't do, they way they have to figure out what they are and how they are like a real stingray or buffalo but also different, their fears and aspirations and petty jealousies...it is just so great. And really funny. Read these to your kids immediately (or listen to them in the car).
May 31, 2025
Odd.
Don't waste your time. If you want a cozy book about "live" toys, read the original adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh or Raggedy Ann. Not this one.
There are some weird connotations that are, perhaps, truly supposed to be innocent and would likely go over the heads of small children, but the word choice is strange. One example out of several: a toy is jealous because another toy gets to go to bed with the little girl every night and go "under the covers" and do "private stuff."
Mentions ghosts and ax murderers who live in basements; characters lie; mentions the mom wearing a bikini; a main character is a somewhat snotty know-it-all (who really doesn't know much at all); a character tells another to "shut up."
There's probably more that I forgot. I was pre-reading for my kids, and had to force myself to finish it. It wasn't all that interesting, or funny, or worth it.
Don't waste your time. If you want a cozy book about "live" toys, read the original adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh or Raggedy Ann. Not this one.
There are some weird connotations that are, perhaps, truly supposed to be innocent and would likely go over the heads of small children, but the word choice is strange. One example out of several: a toy is jealous because another toy gets to go to bed with the little girl every night and go "under the covers" and do "private stuff."
Mentions ghosts and ax murderers who live in basements; characters lie; mentions the mom wearing a bikini; a main character is a somewhat snotty know-it-all (who really doesn't know much at all); a character tells another to "shut up."
There's probably more that I forgot. I was pre-reading for my kids, and had to force myself to finish it. It wasn't all that interesting, or funny, or worth it.
December 31, 2017
A sweet, charming book that was just the balm I needed after that Dork Diary! I've a strong notion that this would make an excellent read-aloud. It has a timeless feel that I so enjoyed. I may read this over a few weeks to my first graders to help build their comprehension stamina.
I just have one question. Why were StingRay's lines written that way? Is she supposed to be sing-song-y? A free verse poet?
I just have one question. Why were StingRay's lines written that way? Is she supposed to be sing-song-y? A free verse poet?
February 7, 2017
A great read-aloud beginning chapter book for ages 4-8. It's basically the same idea as Toy Story, but hey, who doesn't love Toy Story? We'll definitely keep going with this series.
March 26, 2018
My five year old had a hard time at first keeping the characters straight, but by the end, we were both attached to the know-it-all S ray, the messy buffalo, and the sweetly bouncy Plastic.
June 18, 2019
This was a cute book, and it does remind me of Toy Story. There are six connected stories about three toys. I liked each story and toy, but the birthday party was my favorite story.
September 16, 2019
"This is like if A. A. Milne wrote a story where all the characters were toys!.... Oh, wait..."
Anyway. SO good. Hilarious. Real.
We laughed out loud.
Anyway. SO good. Hilarious. Real.
We laughed out loud.
December 15, 2019
Adorable and funny. Would be lovely to share with a little one.
abandoned
September 4, 2020This one is going back to the library unfinished. Neither me nor my six-year-old son really seemed to get or enjoy what was going on.
July 18, 2025
This was my favorite book when I was a kid. It still holds up!
October 30, 2021
I read this book aloud to my 4yo son. We both loved it! The depth of character given to these three beloved toys in such a brief book is amazing. This is definitely a book that can be appreciated by all ages.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 677 reviews