Whanganui police have made a plea to the public to help a little boy find his lost red ball.
The ball was last seen being picked up by a woman who put it in her silver car after the boy accidentally kicked it over his fence, police said.
The boy reported the lost ball to police, and has also created a poster to alert the public.
"A couple of staff have since bought him a new ball to play with - hopefully that keeps him busy till his original one turns up," police said.
"If you know where his lost (or stolen) ball is, feel free to return it to Whanganui station.
"In case you're worried that this job might distract us from getting to the bottom of serious crimes - don't worry, we're doing that too," police said.
"To this kid, his ball is everything."