I Love You (nearly always)
Anna Llenas
Templar Publishing
Roly is a woodlouse – the king of camouflage, Rita, a super-cool firefly. Surprisingly, or maybe not if you believe the ‘opposites attract’ idea, they like one another. That’s at the beginning however.
One day Rita becomes critical of Roly’s tough skin, his controlling manner and his habit of hiding away quietly. Roly too has issues: they’re logged in his black book: Rita’s light’s too bright, she’s noisy and too fast a flier; in fact she’s downright annoying.

Can they overcome their differences? Seemingly it’s worth a try.
Roly takes measures to soften his suit, just a little …

Rita attempts to slow her flight somewhat …

A bond of trust begins to form … And then it’s a case of vive la différence: love conquers all.
What an absolutely brilliant way of demonstrating the importance of friendship and that we should acknowledge and celebrate our differences. Roly and Rita are such endearing characters, so adorably portrayed in Anna Llenas’ mixed media illustrations. Every spread made me smile and the plethora of pop-ups, wheels, flaps and sliders ensures visual delight, not to mention ‘wow’!s from young children, at every page turn.
I’m keeping close tabs on my copy for fear it gets booknapped by an enthusiastic child.