Rolie Polie Olie [Hardcover]

William Joyce (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Series: Rolie Polie Olie

Way up high in the ROLIE POLIE Sky
Is a little round planet
Of a really swell guy...

Rolie Polie Olie lives on a fantastic planet of blue skies and friendly robots, where every day is a surprise and literally everything comes to life. Harking back to the happy cartoon shorts of the 1930s, it's a world where machines act like people and where Mom and Dad seem to know all the answers. The whole mechanical Rolie Polie family Ping-Pongs around their smiley teapot house, playing and having fun from morning to noon to night. In Rolie Polie Olie land, it's one for all and all for one, little sister Zowie worships her big brother, and ever-loyal Spot is a pal to the end of time. And when things go wrong and all seems lost, a rumba dance can make everything okey dokey once again.

Olie is the hero of Disney's hit TV show Rolie Polie Olie, which Entertainment Weekly called “the best new children's show” on television this year. Hollywood Reporter said: “Little else on television can match the sheer enchantment of Rolie Polie Olie.” This is Olie's introduction into the world of children's books, where he can stand side by side with his creator's other award-winning and best-selling classics, Dinosaur Bob, George Shrinks, Bently & egg, Santa Calls, and The Leaf Men.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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

From Publishers Weekly

Joyce diverges from the hyperbolic, pleasurably bizarre imagery he created for The Leaf Men and Dinosaur Bob in this digitally enhanced but uneventful picture book. Rolie Polie Olie is a robotic child living in a "land of curves and curls," where most objects are rounded and smooth (although the rooms of Olie's teapot-shaped house have corners). Olie himself is comprised of a round yellow head with the circular black eyes of a smiley face. On his spherical torso, he wears red shorts whose dual buttons recall Mickey Mouse's signature pants, and he stands on pliable metallic limbs that resemble pay-phone cords. In this day-in-the-life story, "Rolie Polie Olie/ rolled out of bed./ Brushed his teeth./ Recharged his head." After a breakfast of "Rolie O's," Olie and his parents, sister and dog perform a morning ritual: "The Rolie Polie Rumba Dance/ was always done in underpants!" Olie then helps the family with chores, plays ball (of course), gets in a tiff with his sister, apologizes and goes to bed forgiven. Joyce makes use of round "O"s in his rhymes and liberally applies "Rolie" as an adjective ("Yes, okey dokey is the day/ when all you Rolie did was play"). Thanks to computer manipulation, his plasticine paintings offer crisp edges, flawless high-tech color and a seeming three-dimensionality. Olie's shiny surface doesn't make up for his lack of a personality, but the character practically steps out of the frames, advertising his potential as a toy or animated image. Ages 2-8. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (September 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060271639
• ISBN-13: 978-0060271633
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 10 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #845,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A true luminary and creative spirit, William Joyce has put his personal stamp on children's media in every direction. His picture books include George Shrinks, Dinosaur Bob and Santa Calls; he's won three Emmy awards for his Rolie Polie Olie animated series; developed character concepts for Toy Story and A Bug's Life; and his films include Robots and Meet the Robinsons. He's currently co-directing The Guardians for DREAMWORKS, and is producing The Leaf Men, based on his picturebook. He lives in Shreveport, LA, and is the founder of Moonbot Studios.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rolie Polie Olie - One of a kind!, November 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rolie Polie Olie (Hardcover)

Wow, Rolie Polie Olie is a huge hit at our home. Not only the TV series and the new book, but now you can get toys of the whole family through etoys.com. They are absolutely precious. I received mine today and don't know if I will be able to wait until Christmas to give them to my children. Check them out. I promise you don't want to miss out.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great for discussing similarities and differences, August 19, 2000

By 

Ann M. Huebner (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rolie Polie Olie (Hardcover)

My son (almost three) has been crazy about this book from the moment he saw the cover. It's about a toddler/robot named Rolie Polie Olie who lives on a distant planet. The gentle, rhyming story recounts his day with his family--breakfast, chores, play time, naughty behavior, bedtime. We spend a lot of time pointing out the similiarities and differences between our family and Olie's. For example, our house is shaped like a box; Olie's house is shaped like a teapot. Our vacuum stays on the ground; Olie's vacuum flies through the air and makes bubbles. This feature alone makes the book worthwhile. Be warned, however, that the poetic text with its odd phrases and syntax will be somewhat puzzling to toddlers; I'm still at a loss to explain, "Yes, okey dokey is the day when all you Rolie did was play." Some of the illustrations will also confuse--just try sorting out Olie's dad from the pogo stick and the tree house; it's all a mesmerizing mish-mash of odd shapes and bright colors. That said, the overall story is simple enough that it will carry young readers/listeners through the tough spots. And there is an awful lot here to enjoy.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great reading for youngster, January 8, 2000

By 

Ericka Johnson (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rolie Polie Olie (Hardcover)

My child delights in this book. I have only had it for a week now but the pages are already becoming worn because he wants me to read it to him every time he sees it. He is only three and already he knows the book backwards and forwards. Forget about Barney or Teletubbies, Rolie Polie Olie has become his new favorite. The book features brightly animated pictures of the main character and depicts he and his family in a charming settin. They enjoy their day engaging in family activities. There is also a crucial element to the book that my son can definately relate to being that he sometimes becomes overworked and wired and is then not mindful of others. William Joyce portrays this one special point carefully as he shows the main character and his family in a happily ever after situation.