Playground Polly is always with Boffo, which is fine with him because he knows that he is too little to be out and about on his own. And truth be told, he’s too nervous to do any of the things by himself that he does quite happily with Polly.
As for Polly herself, she is actively trying to postpone what she knows will be the beginning of the end: the day that Boffo starts school. Her prodigy, her perfect little brother will be no more; he will be ‘re-educated.’
Going to school is a fate Polly has managed to postpone thus far for herself, but it has taken single-minded determination and focus. When asked why she won’t go to school, her statement never varies: ‘Because I don’t want to.’
If pressed for more she will add, ‘Maybe one day I will change my mind.’
But Boffo wouldn’t kick up much of a fuss if he was told to go.
He is easily pleased and happy when he sees happiness around him, which has the effect of making those around him want to appear happy, at least to Boffo. They do so by smiling and laughing, by being courteous and pleasant. By appearing to be happy, they begin to feel happy, and all those smiles become genuine.
Polly holds puppet Boffo in front of the puppet master. As she does so, Marian the Librarian twists the man’s arm behind his back and begins to lift it. ‘Let him go,’ she orders, with a sharp little lift of his arm.
Almost instantly Boffo reappears as himself. He falls to the floor forgetting he is no longer a small boy on strings under the control of strange adult. He laughs, jumps to his feet and hugs both Marian the Librarian and his sister.
The odious puppet master is gone in minutes. He turns red when, pushing angrily through the double doors, he sees Boffo waving a cheerful good-bye.
I should mention that Polly and Boffo never took books out of the library. It took me a while to wonder if Polly could read them – not learning to read would be the one major drawback of avoiding school.
Boffo did indeed to go school, by the way, and he taught Polly to read. Polly was so excited when she learned to read that with Boffo’s encouragement, she did change her mind, went back to school and raced through several grades at once. She also spent more time with Marian the Librarian, who taught her to find exactly what she was looking for.
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