Olivia Counts (Board book)

by Ian Falconer (Author, Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Learning to count to 10 is no chore when accompanied by Olivia, piglet superstar of Ian Falconer's Caldecott Honor Book, Olivia, and Olivia Saves the Circus. Preschoolers will giggle to see reminders of Olivia's mischief in this simple counting book: "one ball, two bows, three pots of paint"... on up to "ten Olivias," pictured in various familiar poses: trying on pantyhose, standing on her head, earnestly jumping rope, sunbathing, etc. Each sturdy page of this small, square board book provides a backdrop of white on which our black and white porcine heroine struts, with occasional red accessories. Early learners will also enjoy Olivia's Opposites. (Baby to preschool) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
Children's NOTES Learn with Olivia What better way for toddlers to learn the basics than with two board books starring Ian Falconer's Olivia? Youngsters start with one ball at the beach (in the signature red-and-white stripes) and finish with ten Olivias jumping rope, doing handstands and sprawling on a beach towel in Olivia Counts. A red numeral accompanies each scene. In Olivia's Opposites she demonstrates word pairs with comic flair (for instance, she models a scarlet evening gown for long and a red tutu for short). Both feature b&w and red illustrations from Falconer's Caldecott Honor book, Olivia, and its companion, Olivia Saves the Circus. (June)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Baby-Preschool
  
• Board book: 12 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum; First Edition edition (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689850875
• ISBN-13: 978-0689854477
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #23,223 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #24 in	Books > Children's Books > Animals > Pigs > Fiction
  #37 in	Books > Children's Books > Basic Concepts > Counting

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An okay counting book, June 4, 2002

By	Ariel Pawlak (POMPANO BEACH, FL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book for my almost three year old daughter because she loves the two Olivia storybooks so much. The pictures in this book are for the most part taken exactly from the previous story book Olivia. The only two original pictures are Olivia's four aunts and eight cousins. Unfortunately my daughter does not have aunts or cousins so she is not really familiar with these terms. The other numbers are more easily recognizable items such as five books and six teeth. I love Olivia, I really do, and I wanted to love this book. The way Ian Falconer interjects culture such as art, ballet, and opera into his full length story of a pig and her family is really great. I just get the feeling from this book that Mr. Falconer wanted to make some more money from his Olivia franchise without really having to create anything new. One thing I have to say for the Olivia counting book is it's really sturdy. This book would stand up to to the roughest toddler. If you have an older child who is somewhat more gentle check out Chuck Murphy's One to Ten for an interactive and eye popping counting book.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This Little Piggy Accessorized, June 1, 2005

By	M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

It appears from comments here that author/illustrator Ian Falconer re-used some images from previous board books. While these may "only" be board books, this is not common practice, and, if true, does not seem fair to either parent or child. While small toddlers may or may not remember prior use of pictures, older ones may, and beginning readers are even more like to recognize them. Moreover, board books are often bought as a set; a giver will not be happy to learn that a set of Falconer books includes repeated images.

That report (from other reviewers) aside, Falconer's book features the black and white shaded piglet, Olivia. With her softly shaded contours, and crooked smile, Olivia strikes a winning pose in front of one to ten objects in this counting book. She proudly displays two red bows, hides in a paper bag mask with six sharp teeth, and shows us her four aunts (all looking like older Olivia's), seven accessories (e.g., a cap. A bow tie), eight cousins, and finally 10 portraits of herself-skipping rope, wearing flippers, listening to headphones, and standing on her head. Numbers corresponding to the objects are written in a crayon style on each page.

Of the four counting books I read recently, this rates near the bottom. Objects and Olivia herself are static looking, and some of the objects are fairly small (e.g., a stack of five books held horizontally) , and the enumeration is sometimes confusing (objects appear on both one- and two-page spreads). There's no story or theme that ties them together, other than the somehow appealing Olivia. One other positive is the sturdy book construction, I imagine that's the reason for the proliferation of Olivia books, but I recommend instead Sandra Boynton's funny and very clever counting book "Hippos Go Berserk," which is available from Amazon.com. Recommended only for fans of Olivia.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a board book, what do you expect, August 1, 2002

By A Customer

For those of you to expect the board books to be totally original. Come on... These are great introduction books to the Olivia series for baby and Toddlers who can not handle the other books. I highly recommend both of the board books for baby and Toddlers. The red, white and black coloring is perfect. The concepts are great for toddlers learning language. If your child is older they may not appreciate the board books and find the other 2 books more stimulating.