Will newcomer Ball round out Rock and Roll’s friendship?
In this follow-up to Rock and Roll (2026), the titular odd-couple besties—one is an anthropomorphized round gray rock, the other an anthropomorphized soft, buttery-looking roll—find their bond tested when “life throws them a curveball!” The curveball arrives in the form of Ball, a bouncy red orb who’s “smooth,” “sporty,” and “a total catch” (get it?). Rock and Roll end up competing for Ball’s affections (“Ball likes me the best!” “No! Ball likes ME the best!”). Things are coming to a head (“Rock is about to crack!” “Roll is one hot cross bun!”) when they notice that Ball looks forlorn—one could say that Ball has lost some bounce. Rock and Roll realize that they’ve been lousy friends to the newcomer: “They’ve taken their eye off Ball.” Alas, they got so caught up in their competition that they wound up treating the red rubber plaything like, well, a plaything. Fans of wordplay will appreciate that Thompson takes the punning as far as it can possibly go…and then somehow takes it farther still. Naturally, a story filled with groaner puns requires props for sight gags, and the rollicking art is speckled with them. Note, for example, how Roll’s drum kit is made out of kitchenware. The drums are, of course, for the all-sphere trio’s Rock and Roll band.
Thompson is on a roll with this rockin’ series. (Picture book. 3-7)–Kirkus Reviews
