From Barnes & Noble
"Eloise has met her match! We love Olivia!" --Hilary Knight
A new and unexpected heroine emerges with the irresistible Olivia. Olivia is a spunky little pig with an abundance of energy and enthusiasm. Her daily activities -- singing the loudest of songs, creating art on walls, and building skyscrapers -- do not tire her in the least. Rather, when it is time for bed, she asks for a plethora of books to be read! Olivia's mom, on the other hand, is drained. Parents and kids alike will marvel at Olivia's abounding energy -- and her mom's abounding patience and love.
Readers will be equally enchanted with the book's illustrations. Using simple black and white with splashes of red may sound a bit harsh for a child's eyes, but simplicity, detail, and humor go a long way. Olivia appears at the beginning of the book standing and listening to headphones that are bright red. She then dresses herself in a very smart sailor dress that is, yes, red. Throughout the story, Olivia is shown engaging in her many activities, of which the only colored highlight is a shade of red. Perhaps this serves to counter the active and supercharged (but lovable!) antics of Miss Olivia. In any case, it just works -- wonderfully. Favorite images include Olivia visiting the museum with her mom and brother. Standing in front of a Jackson Pollack painting she declares, "I could do that in about five minutes." And when she she gets home, she gives it a go with some crayons and her bedroom wall. Olivia, you're one heck of a pig.
From the Publisher
Have fun with Olivia:
- dressing up
- singing songs
- building sand castles
- napping (maybe)
- dancing
- painting on walls
- and -- whew! --
going to sleep at last.
Publishers Weekly
Equal parts endearing and impetuous, Ian Falconer's acclaimed star, Olivia, appears in an unabridged board book version of the Caldecott Honor title. In our Best Books citation, PW wrote, "With a masterful use of black line, a minimum of details, a judicious use of the color red and a few choice words, Falconer invents an unforgettable porcine heroine." Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Children's Literature
Olivia is a masterpiece of simplicity that portrays the complex, imaginative psyche of children. Olivia's boundless energy tests her mother's patience and her little brother's endurance, while wrapping herself into the reader's heart. Deciding what to wear takes a full page of choices, all executed in charcoal and gouache with highlights of red. With humor and honest emotions, Olivia is "every child" who accepts Degas, Jackson Pollock and Maria Callas as equals. Her bedroom walls reflect her Pollock phase, which causes Mom to say, "Time out!" When Olivia negotiates with her mother over the number of books to be read at bedtime, every parent smiles. Olivia is a Caldecott Honor Book that proves the maxim that "less is more." 2000, Antheneum, $16.00. Ages 4 up. Reviewer: Jan Lieberman
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 3-From the articles of clothing strewn across the front endpapers of this droll account of Olivia's escapades, readers may surmise that this porcine heroine is no ordinary youngster. Olivia is constantly on the move, dreaming big dreams and meeting every challenge head-on. She doesn't just get dressed, she tries on every outfit in the closet. She doesn't just dance, she envisions herself as a prima ballerina bowing before an adoring audience. When her mother teaches her to build sand castles, Olivia creates a towering structure that closely resembles the Chrysler Building in New York City. When she views a Jackson Pollack painting in the museum, she immediately concludes that she can do better and proceeds to try her hand at painting a wall at home. Her efforts earn her time out and a bath. The text is brief, funny, and sometimes ironic in relation to the highly amusing illustrations. The only touches of color in the pictures, executed in charcoal and gouache, are the bright reds of the clothing or objects used by Olivia. There are often many renderings of the young pig on each large white background, effectively demonstrating her boundless energy. Even at day's end, she is still going strong, negotiating the number of books to be read at bedtime. For a lively storyhour featuring feisty females, pair this with Kevin Henkes's stories about Lilly.-Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
People Magazine
High energy piglet Olivia excels at all kinds of things, especially wearing people out. A charming tale sure to strike a chord with the grade school set.
The Christian Science Monitor -
Karen Carden
Not only is this one terrific picture book, but it's Falconer's first...Illustrations are stunning, done in stark black and white with splashes of true red. Together, the words and pictures evoke smiles, giggles, and a rare but thrilling sense that this book may be absolutely perfect.
Time -
Richard Corliss
Falsoner, whose work has appeared on New Yorker covers, has given her [Olivia} so much porcine panache that she would win over even the strictest parent. Most of the time.
Kirkus Reviews
Even before her story begins, readers are following Olivia as she leaves a trail of clothes that she has eschewed in favor of the outfit du jour for her auspicious entrance on the title page. Rarely have readers seen a pig with such joie de vivre and panache. The brief, declarative text is an unadorned introduction to a character who will gain instant recognition and quickly be taken to heart. The story very simply follows the irrepressible Olivia (along with her somewhat forbearing family) through a typical day from morning to night, with excursions to the beach and the art museum. A delicious irony is established between the spare, deadpan text and the ever-ebullient and excessive Olivia. "Olivia gets dressed. She has to try on everything," says the text. Thus begins a parade of 17 outfits and 17 poses on a double-page spread. While young readers will love picking their favorite among the 17, by far the funniest is Olivia in her pantyhose. Much of Olivia's personality is conveyed through her generous, expressive, and slightly quizzical mouth, as she ponders a Degas at the museum or suffers the indignity of a "time out" after re-creating a Jackson Pollock on her bedroom wall. Characterizations are deftly accomplished with minimal line. Illustrations are rendered in charcoal and gouache in black, white, velvety gray with lipstick-red accents. Flawless decisions in composition and page design, generous white space, and a few exaggerated perspectives add much to the book's distinction. Although the most visual weight is given to Olivia, just waiting on the sidelines is Olivia's little brother Ian. New fans of Falconer can only hope Ian will soon star in his own book.
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