THE RETURNUS

In this quirky Australian import, four sentient statues leave the museum where they have been on display and return home to Rome.

The statues have ways of entertaining themselves, but they are bored and homesick. So they bid their fellow statue friends from the ancient Egyptian exhibit farewell and don clothing from the lost and found in order to “blend in without attracting too much attention.” Dressed as a ballerina, a dinosaur, a businessman, and a baby (which generates much of the visual humor), they make their way back to Rome by boat and are disappointed to find it much changed. Rebuffed by their esteemed leader, a statue of Julius Caesar, they wander the countryside until a pink-skinned old woman takes them in. Freshly bathed and comfortably ensconced in her garden, they at last feel at home. The wry first-person narrative includes faux Latin words created by occasionally adding -us or -um (i.e., boring-um, returnus). The deadpan delivery contrasts amusingly with the outlandish but ultimately anticlimactic action. Camp’s illustrations have a childlike charm with simple, sometimes lumpy outlines and unexpected, occasionally blotchy hues. That childlike tone doesn’t quite mesh with the sophisticated humor, however, which relies on a grasp of history and culture many young readers may lack.

Though eccentric and original, this offbeat journey may struggle to find an appreciative audience.