Arlo rolled

PreS-Gr 2—A perfectly round green pea who wears glasses shares a pod with his siblings Mary, Gary, Terry, and Sherry. Determined not to become part of a salad or soup, he drops to the ground and rolls away. He escapes a hungry slug, a stink bug with menacing pincers, and a crow with a sharp beak and talons. While avoiding an army of ants, he is kicked high in the air by a puppy digging a hole. "He sailed to a field/where he dropped with a PLOP,/rolled into a wall, and came to a stop." There Arlo sleeps beneath the ground as the seasons change. He awakes the next spring to find himself a vine, soaking up the sunshine against a stone wall. As time passes, he puts out blossoms, which are replaced by peapods. One of these is home to his children, Molly, Holly, Dolly, Paul, and Arlene—all perfectly round peas wearing glasses. The lively, acrylic illustrations capture the adventurous pea's journey on full-color spreads, one of which, turned vertically, shows Arlo growing up the wall as his petals fall on the hapless head of a slug. The rhymed text is a pleasure to read, making it a good choice for storytime as well as individual reading. Children will enjoy this story with its satisfying ending. A good choice for spring reading.—Mary Jean Smith, formerly at Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN [Page 90]. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Arlo the pea breaks away from the rest of his pod in an effort to be free and ventures out into the world to discover who he is going to be.

Relates the exciting adventures of Arlo, a pea who wants to be free.

From the author of How to Teach a Slug to Read comes a delightful story about a pea named Arlo who wants to be free. So off he rolls...and rolls...and rolls. He meets a slug, he meets a bug—and still he rolls until...you'll see! Filled with charming illustrations and told in verse, this endearing tale explores the ideas of independence and striking out on one's own.

From the author of How to Teach a Slug to Read comes a delightful story about a pea named Arlo who wants to be free. So off he rolls…and rolls…and rolls. He meets a slug, he meets a bug—and still he rolls until…you'll see! Filled with charming illustrations and told in verse, this endearing tale explores the ideas of independence and striking out on one's own.