By Holly Swick
Illustrated by Andrea Torrey Balsara
The best toy I ever had
Was not a talking doll,
Not a truck,
Not a car,
Not a big red ball.
The best toy I ever had
Was big and brown and square.
The best toy in the world by far
Had a few small tears.
I played with it for hours and hours
Even though it wasn't battery powered.
The best toy I ever had
Was not two puppets made from socks.
The best toy I ever had
Was a cardboard box.
As a child, Andrea Torrey Balsara dreamed of being a children's book illustrator. She loved how pictures brought a story to life. Over the years, that dream was put aside for the "real world," and she did every job imaginable, including driving a school bus, interpreting sign language, and operating a marketing business. Fortunately, she is finally happily listening to her very dreaming "inner" child.
Andrea lives in Mississauga, Ontario with her husband Nav, and daughters Katie and Mehra. They have an ex-racing greyhound named Jasper, but the boss is still their small but mighty cat named Sammy.
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