Roly Poly the polar bear is an only child. All the
things he has belong to him. Especially his bed! He loves it that way.
Then along comes Monty. Now Roly Poly has a
brother; a brother he didn’t ask for. Monty gets in Roly Poly’s way. He is
ignored and resented.
It‘s when harsh words are spoken to Monty and an
accident occurs, that Roly Poly is forced to rethink his attitude towards
Monty. He has more to lose than gain.
Jane Dyer has created a wonderful character for
Roly Poly. His negative emotions are recognised by the lifting of his nose in
the air, the turn of his shoulder towards Monty, and how he strides away from
his brother in anger.
This is a perfect depiction of how a child reacts
when a sibling enters their space after they have been the only focus of the
parents for some time.
Dyer has done a wonderful job translating Mem Fox’s
minimal but meaningful text. White is the main colour and background feature
throughout the book. It changes to blue when the accident occurs. This
separates the former with the present actions and the outcome changes. I found
this a clever way of creating the shift in the story.
Roly
Poly is ideal for initiating conversation between parent
and child when their behaviour changes due to the addition of a sibling. It is
also a useful tool for preschool classrooms that choose to address any
noticeable change of attitude in children due to a new born at home.
Title:
Roly Poly
Author:
Mem Fox
Illustrator:
Jane Dyer
Publisher:
Penguin Random House $19.99
Publication
Date: 19 Nov 2019
Format:
Hardcover
ISBN:
9781760896348
For
ages: 3+
Type:
Picture Book
