Parents' Guide to

Teddy's Favorite Toy

Book Christian Trimmer Picture Book 2018
Teddy's Favorite Toy Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Jan Carr By Jan Carr , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 4+

Boy loves doll in story with humor and heart.

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Why Age 4+?

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age 3+

Based on 1 parent review

Fifer L.
Fifer L. Adult
June 8, 2024
age 3+

This fun, vibrant picture book shows a child's deep love of his toy. When the toy goes missing his mother goes to great lengths to get it back.

With simple sentences, fun language, and an undertone of gender-positive representation (a boy whose favorite toy is a pink doll, the repetition of the phrase "yasss Queen") this fun picture book will appeal to a range of readers. It's humorous tone and action that invokes childhood comic book characters will keep children entertained throughout this heartwarming picture book.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

TEDDY'S FAVORITE TOY is a doll, "Bren-Da, Warrior Queen of Pacifica," which he puts to many uses. Sometime he plays with her in traditional ways: tea parties. Other times, she fights the rest of his toys in "epic battles." In the heat of battle, a leg comes off and Teddy tries to fix it in a variety of creative ways (one involving bubble gum). In desperation, he wraps the doll in tape and leaves her on his bed. But when Mom passes by and sees the mess, she dumps it all into the garbage can, and it's taken off by the garbage truck. In the nick of time, Teddy sees that Bren-Da's missing, and Mom springs to action, rivaling Bren-Da with her own fierce moves as she chases after the truck to rescue the doll.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This book takes the boy-likes-doll story to new, creative heights as Teddy's doll gets incorporated into imaginative play and wages epic battles. In Teddy's Favorite Toy, creativity bubbles up on every page. When the doll's leg breaks off, Teddy self-reliantly tries various ways of fixing it -- cutting off locks of his troll doll to tie it back on, sticking it on with bubble gum, and finally, taping the whole mess together. Throughout, author Christian Trimmer makes Teddy very recognizably "kid."

As befits a book about a superhero doll and a mom with fierce moves, the text is kicky. Trimmer builds suspense by letting the art deliver the punchlines. He tells us that something "truly awful" is about to happen, and when we see it, he writes simply, "This," letting illustrator Madeline Valentine provide the harrowing detail. The mom works at home at a drafting table -- as an illustrator, ha ha! And the sequence in which Teddy dresses Bren-Da in his own fashion creations includes a hilarious see-through sandwich bag with pretzels. As Teddy shouts when his mom saves the day, "Yas, queen!"

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the doll in Teddy's Favorite Toy. What are some of the different ways Teddy plays with Bren-Da? How does he play with his doll and other toys together? What are some of his fun ideas?

  • Have you ever broken a toy? Were you able to fix it? Have you lost a toy? Did you find it?

  • What do we learn about Teddy and his mom from the words to the story? Do we learn different things about them from the pictures?

Book Details

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