"Polo And Lily"
by Regis Faller
(Roaring Brook Press, 2004)
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One of the early adventures of the ever-optimistic, cheerfully adventurous cartoon-figure dog named Polo, who travels the world and beyond always coming up with unique and inventive ways to get past every obstacle, all told in wordless but enchanting multi-panel comicbook form. This fantastic series by French author/illustrator Regis Faller is a big favorite around here, and it's nice to see the early books back in print.
In this volume we meet a character who we'll all want to see more of: Lily is a little stripey girl rabbit who rides on a cloud as if it were a magic carpet. She has a bright, smiley optimism and carefree sense of adventure that matches Polo's, and once they meet, they become fast friends. We also see the inside of Polo's groovy treehouse, a home that would make Snoopy green with envy. Part of the charm of the Polo books are their exploration of the everyday, so here we see Polo doing a little bit of gardening, some cooking and a bit of reading before he falls asleep... We also see how he gets his telephone - it's a gift from Lily -- and the story ends with her calling him up to say "hi". Although it's short in length, this is one of the most charming Polo books, and certainly a delight to read. (By the way, be sure to look for Lily later on, in the beginning of "Polo And The Runaway Book," one of the longer Polo epics: she sends him the book.
This is great stuff, built on the European tradition of imaginative, well-crafted graphic art: if your kids are too young for "Tin-Tin" or "Asterix and Obelix," maybe you can get then started with this delightful series. Highly recommended! (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain children's book reviews)