Rolie
Polie Olie by William Joyce
Paperback from HarperCollins
Media Published: 2006-01-24
ISBN: 0060534842
Rolie Polie Olie lives way up high in the Rolie Polie sky with his mom,
his pop, his sister, Zowie, and his dog, Spot. Follow Olie as he spends
his day having fun under the Rolie Polie sun.
Spend a day with the Emmy-award winning robots in Rolie Polie Olie's
family, complete with the Rolie Polie Rumba Dance done in underpants!
Any book that features robots dancing around in their underpants is
a book worth owning. William Joyce--creator of Dinosaur Bob and
George Shrinks--brings his expansive, wildly colored illustrations
to the story of a cute, buglike robot and his family. Rolie Polie Olie
lives on a faraway planet with his mom and pop, his sister Zowie, and his
doggie Spot. They spend a pretty ordinary day playing, working, eating,
and getting ready for bed in this delightfully modest tale of robotic family
happiness. Joyce's bouncy prose is engaging enough to be read aloud time
and again: "You're Rolie hot and Polie tired. Your motor's zapped. Your
piston's fired. Yes, okey dokey is the day when all you Rolie did was play."
The illustrations are vintage Joyce, with a 1930s deco look that's polished
without being soulless. The pictorial lushness is a nice counterpoint to
the simplicity of the tale, which devotes a grand full-page spread to the
little-known fact that "The Rolie Polie Rumba Dance was always done in
underpants!" --Claire Dederer
Rolie Polie Olie's back with his new pal, Mr. Snowie!
Together they rocket to Chillsville to meet Klanky Klaus and dance the
chilly cha cha. . . . What wonders a snowy day can bring!
What wonders a snowy day can bring! Rolie Polie Olie, a cute little
arthropodish robot, often wishes for snow in his frost-free land. One day
his dream comes true--the sun blows a bulb and snow begins to fall. Olie
and his sister Zowie decide to build a buddy--named Mr. Snowie! As with
the legendary Frosty the Snowman, all is well until the sun returns to
its bright, warm state, then suddenly Mr. Snowie is in danger. "What to
do? What to do? They had a friend they couldn't keep cool!" There's only
one solution. It's time to rocket to Chillsville where they encounter scores
of frosty friends for Mr. Snowie, including one very familiar looking jolly
fellow with a white beard and a belly like a bowl full of jelly.
William Joyce, author-illustrator of Rolie Polie Olie, Rolie
Polie Olie: A Little Spot of Color, and many other popular picture
books, delights young readers with his quirky computer-generated characters
and lighthearted adventures. Vivid colors, jaunty shapes, and playful,
simple text are trademarks of Joyce's unique, contemporary style. (Ages
2 to 6) --Emilie Coulter
Robotic charmer Rolie Polie Olie and his best friend, Billy, little
sister, Zowie, and faithful dog, Spot, come together in one fabulous tote
box, complete with a sheet of colorful Rolie Polie stickers and four mini
board books by William Joyce (Olie, Billy, Zowie,
and Spot). Kids love reading about the surprisingly ordinary day-to-day
adventures of these otherworldly characters, with their shiny, spherical
heads (except Billy, who's more cubical) and wiry antennae. The sturdy
cardboard briefcase-shaped box has snap closures and a plastic handle,
so young readers can take their robot pals everywhere. Brilliant colors,
lighthearted stories, and a computer-generated contemporary style ensure
an appreciative audience for these unusual and appealing books and stickers.
(Ages 2 to 5) --Emilie Coulter
Sleepy
Time Olie by William Joyce
Hardcover from HarperCollins
Media Published: 2001-10-02
ISBN: 0060296135
Rolie Polie evening--
Olie's almost sleeping.
His Rolie days
are without care,
especially when
Pappy's there.
But where is Pappy?
Where oh,
oh where?
Parents can be forgiven for wondering what it is that appeals about
William Joyce's Ping-Pong-headed space hero, Rolie Polie Olie. But read
about him and his family to any child under five, and there's no doubting
that the attraction of the Rolie Polie Planet is powerful. In this rhyming
bedtime adventure, Olie waits for a goodnight story from Pappy (grandpa),
but Pappy turns up late and befuddled after a nasty bonk on the head. Olie
saves the day by creating a sort of funny ray. (The adult but not the child
will be irritated at the inconsistencies here: in one illustration Olie
is filling a bucket with tricks and treats, and in the next this has inexplicably
become a bubble-gun; equally inexplicably, it's described as a ray-gun.)
"Then Olie burst into the room / and with his ray dispelled the gloom.
'I made a Pappy pick-me-up / to help old Pappy ungrow up.'" Shakespeare
it isn't, but small kids are better than we are at empathizing with characters
whose very souls seem to be made from Ping-Pong balls too. They love it!
(Ages 3 to 5) --Richard Farr
