Roly-Polies
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Although chubby and gray, these funny little animals will embark on the adventure of forming their own theater and will remind us of that artist that we all carry inside.
Still don't know the Poly family? Beneath a large cabaret theater lived a huge family of roly-polies. The cabaret was open at night, and it welcomed the greatest stars of the moment, who got together to sing and dance to the rhythm of the music. But of course, with that noise, no one could sleep! So the Poly family decided to sleep during the day, and at night they put on their best evening gowns and joined the party. Undoubtedly, these little creatures were real artists. That is why they decided to put on their own show in an abandoned theatre box. Each member of the family had a special talent: one sang like angels, another preferred to dance and create the best choreographies… They all had their role in the show. One day, a family member who lived abroad made a proposal that they could not refuse… to set up a traveling theater!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Carretero breaks many of the rules of picture book construction: her narrative wanders, her plot is all prologue, and her characters are insects whose primary distinction is the ability to roll themselves up into little balls. Also, "they're chubby, which is another way of saying short and fat. And they're a very dull gray." Despite these shortcomings, an engaging voice ("Sunbathing... warms up their little accordion-shaped bodies") and cute-as-a-bug artwork carry readers through encyclopedic background about the roly-polies' dwelling place underneath the Grand Variety Theater and their entry into the world of performance; a flea impresario offers them the chance to put together a traveling show ("Although she was most comfortable working with insects, she had discovered some truly amazing mammal acts"). There, disappointingly, the book ends, just as the action promises to heat up. The book is a little like a variety show itself, with short appearances by many different roly-poly family members (dramatic singers Castor and Eurydice, the great magician "Butterbean"), and a wealth of costumes and props. Offbeat but charming entertainment. Ages 5 7.
