Customer Reviews

Olivia Journal

5 star:		(130)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

"This is Olivia," begins Ian Falconer's delightful picture book about a precocious piglet. "She is good at lots of things." In charming and hilarious illustrations, Olivia's busy adventures take her through dress-up, playing with her cat, going to the beach and museum, (reluctantly) taking a nap, and going to bed after just one story...no, three stories.

This simply is one of the finest children's picture books of the year, and sure to be named on everyone's Top of 2000 list. Quietly humorous and tongue-in-cheek narration, fluid and expressive black-and-white-and-red artwork, and the charming portrayal of the busy and mischievous Olivia make this an instant classic. Sight gags abound (Olivia's ambitious sandcastle, her pink-pink sunburn, her dreams of being a ballerina, and her songbook "40 Very Loud Songs") and Falconer, a New Yorker cover artist and theatre designer, portrays the never-ending energy of a tiny pig, er, girl, with wit and charm.

Don't miss this one: suitable for all ages from the very young to the very old, "Olivia" is the prize of the season. It's the kind of book kids will be begging to have read to them before bed: bargaining for not once, not twice, but three times.

As the first page states..."This is Olivia. She is good at lots of things." And she is. Good at wearing people out, scaring her brother, combing her ears, getting dressed, building sand castles, painting...everything but napping. She's a precocious, feisty, imaginative, wonderful little pig. Ian Falconer has captured the essence of a pre-schooler in his first children's book. His short, simple text is complimented by his expressive black and white illustrations, with just a touch of bright red to highlight the right parts. This is a book your youngsters will want to read again and again, as they see a bit of themselves in Olivia. A must for all home libraries, Olivia is sure to become a classic.

I love Ian Falconer's New Yorker covers, and now I love Olivia too. I only discovered Olivia just this afternoon while I was browsing at the local bookstore. Olivia reminds one of Elopise, but at the same time, it's nice to see her with parents and siblings. I was enchanted by this book, I laughed out loud, and darn it all... if I had only had a few bucks more, I would have bought it. The prose is simple, but sharp and direct, and the artwork is hysterical (especially when Olivia's brother is shown copying everything she does.)

Even more fun is Olivia's appreciation for art and the like. Imagine a little kid wanting a Callas picture book read to them. It's touches like this that make Olivia the clear winner as one of the best picture books to emerge this past year. I am hoping Falconer will write a few more books about this precious piglet. In the meantime, be proud to buy a copy of this book for yourself, even if you don't have any kids. It will definitely be the literary high point of your week.

What I loved:

The artwork.
The artwork.
The artwork.

The skill and subtly of shading is breathtaking. The minimalist palette (black & white plus red) is brave, and certainly helps to highlight key elements (mostly Olivia's clothes!). I am reminded of the ghost-activated inventory in The Sixth Sense. In any case it should come as no surprise that Mr. Falconer is a talented set designer.

What I didn't love:

The many examples of poor behavior.

I can accept that a piglet like Olivia has an ego bigger than her size belies. But letting a young child act out in a selfish and often destructive manner is no recipe for success. Maybe it works in a pigpen but then again, Olivia is anthropomorphized so we must hold her to a higher standard than most swine.

Painting on the walls à la Pollock and intentionally frightening her younger brother are actions not to be admired or laughed at. Olivia's parents are of course complicit to some degree. Allowing her to try on upwards of twenty outfits every morning, and negotiating before bedtime, would never stand in this house. Finally, and possibly most egregious, the goodnight exchange of "I love you anyway" seems far from a secure and sincere expression of love.

Olivia is a young, energetic pig who "is good at lots of things." She likes to run, play dress-up, build sand castles, and scare her little brother away. In fact, Olivia has so much energy, that her mother finds it hard to get her take a nap during the day. Like most children, Olivia has bigger and better things to do than worry about a little sleep, especially when she could be at a museum looking at her favorite picture. Also like other children, Olivia gets inspired and decides to paint a picture on her own bedroom wall. All her adventures during the day make Olivia a typical child. Before the end of the day, Olivia really wears out her poor parents. As a tradition in many families, Olivia's mother still finds the strength to read her a few books before bedtime. And when all is said and done, her mother still loves her anyways.
Like many children, Olivia is into many activities and uses her energy to the full extent. This book allows children to feel comfortable and secure in knowing that they can play all day, make mistakes, and wear their parents out without losing their love. It provokes children to be energetic and creative while enjoying the tales of lovable pig who inspires them to play and create.

What a nice little book for kids. No big bad wolves. No mean kids. No mean grown-ups. No one is abandoned or lost. No name-calling.

What a nice little book for grown-ups, with New Yorker artist Ian Falconer's kindhearted, eye-catching illustrations and perceptive humor that really feels like one parent talking to another (although I guess the character is modeled on his niece actually).

Just a cute portrayal of a happy little girl, highlighting some of the universal qualities found in happy little girls. Olivia likes to dance. Her mother let's her know that she loves her but is worn out by the end of a day with her. Olivia likes to go to the beach. She builds sand castles. She goes to the art museum and thinks about the paintings she likes. She gets in a little trouble trying to make her own home Pollock mural. She likes having books read to her at bedtime and enters intense negotiations concerning the appropriate number of books.

(I see that there are some sequels out. I'm a little nervous about checking them out. Whenever I see a kids book I like, it seems to be followed up by sequels that don't live up to mark set by the original, but we'll see.)

What I enjoyed most about this book is that it is an easy book for a parent to read in an interactive way. There are lots of opportunities to ask questions: What do you think Olivia thinking in this picture? How are you like Olivia? How are you different? And so on. Big thumbs up.

When I read about this book in the NYT Book review, I had to get it for my 4-year old daughter for Christmas! She is Olivia! I laugh hysterically as I read about Olivia trying on every piece of clothing she owns; as she sings, dances, runs, jumps,primps, pouts, paints (on paper and our walls!!)pretends, dreams, reads, you name it!(And wears her mother out!) Olivia does it all! I read this story to my daughter every night before she goes to bed with it and dreams about being a famous opera-singing ballerina, as she puts it!

FIVE STARS! Ian Falconer comes up with a children's book that no matter how many times I read through it, it is incredibly pleasing. The storyline about an imaginative young girl named Olivia is simple and captivating. Whether looking at art, building sand castles, or dealing with her copycat brother, Olivia is charming. The humor in Falconer's work is contagious with its harmonious blend of illustration and text. The illustrations are done in a "limited" palette of black white and red with an occasional brown thrown in. Please do not make the mistake of thinking that this book may be handicapped because of its limited palette. It merely serves to increase the reader's delight in Olivia and her world. Olivia is one of the finest reading encounters that I have run across in my life. Olivia is quite simply... perfect.

Crazy James

Many people compare Olivia to Eloise. While that's certainly a possible model, the more obvious one to me is of Miss Piggy transformed into the setting of her family, rather than being with the Muppets. Olivia's all energy, all female, always dreaming of starring in the arts, and all ready for action. As such, she's a female role model of an upscale Dennis the Menace for the new Millennium.

The story takes you through Olivia's favorite activities. She loves to try on and change clothes, put on make-up, be active with her family and pets, and learn about the arts. Olivia clearly benefits from Ian Falconer's background as someone who paints, illustrates, and has done costume and set design for operas and ballet.

Olivia has four primary appeals for me. First, she is hilariously drawn . . . all head and ears with her snout sticking up in the air atop tiny legs and even smaller hind feet with her horizontally striped tights showing. Second, she is a whirling dervish with wonderful drawn sequences of many different illustrations on two page spreads that capture incredible energy and variation. Third, she is absolutely irrepressible . . . the kind of dauntless child that most parents would like to have. Stimulation . . . not a nap . . . is her need. You can imagine her running for president of the United States in a few years on the Fine Arts ticket. Fourth, there is a wonderful connection to fine art here that you can use to interest your child. The book includes reproductions of two paintings (one of dancers by Degas and a "drip" one by Jackson Pollock}, a book about Maria Callas, and references to Olivia painting, dancing, and singing an aria.

If Eloise is the original material girl with confidence, then Olivia is the modern version of the Alcott sisters getting ready to perform on the big stage of life.

Parents will appreciate that this story develops the theme also of how exhausting it can be to be always engaging with your child. This kind of story makes it possible to establish limits based on mutual love and respect, rather than discipline by habit.

After you have finished enjoying the story, I suggest that you ask your child what she or he dreams about. Then find books, paintings, videos, and other reference materials that can stimulate his or her imagination about those subjects of interest. Children, like adults, learn best when focused on something they already like.

Go whole hog with Olivia and have a ball!

Thank God for Ian Falconer; his arch humor and sly drawings make him a worthy heir to the tradition of Maurice Sendak, Hilary Knight, and Kay Thompson (a huge compliment I don't bestow lightly). Olivia is a little pig with big attitude, and more style than the Duchess of Windsor. I can't decide which is more fun - reading this incredibly funny book to my two year old, or chuckling privately to myself at the hilarious drawings. No matter, both of us love it, and I am grateful for a (rare) book that bridges the kid/parent taste gap so elegantly and effortlessly. This book is a MUST for any parent of a toddler. Read it, love it, and then grab the newest installment, "OLIVIA SAVES THE CIRCUS". Heaven on a stick!