Olivia is an enjoyable children’s book written and illustrated by Ian Falconer. The book was named a Caldecott Honor book in the year 2001, and New York Times named the book a # 1 best seller. Ian Falconer dedicates the book to his children: the real Olivia, Ian, and William, who was not born in enough time to play a role in Olivia. Olivia is a very talented little Piglet. The book is about her energetic personality and her relationship with her family. Typically, her energy is exhausting to her and everyone who comes into contact with her. She acts as a role model to her brother, and he is always mimicking her actions. She must be strong and discipline him because he won’t leave her alone. I very much enjoyed that the family has a dog and cat like the typical American family even though they are all pigs. Olivia has a rigid daily routine, like anyone else, and though her mother is busy and tired, she always finds time for Olivia even if a negotiation is required, and at the end of the day, her mother still loves her very much.
I very much enjoyed the book. Olivia is a delightful child, and I think that the fact that she is a pig would really appeal to young readers. As a child, I loved picture books featuring animals, and I think that reading those books as a child sparked my interest in animals. I remember drawing and coloring pictures of animals, and if I had read this book as a child, Olivia would have become an object of my art. I especially enjoyed the reference to Jason Pollock’s painting and the fact that Olivia wanted to copy his painting because she said that it couldn’t have taken him more than five minutes. I think that this part of the book shows us two things. The first is that children use childhood experiences to shape their lives and mimic whomever they come into contact with, and this is why it is so important that we make positive role models for them. The second is that children need to feel as if they can accomplish great things, and if we expect them to do something that they can’t do, they get discouraged. Olivia couldn’t wait to try to paint like Jason Pollock because she knew that she could, and she painted her masterpiece on the wall and got sent to time out.
After the success of Olivia, Falconer proceeded to write the sequels Olivia and the Missing Toy, Olivia Saves the Circus, Olivia Forms a Band, and Olivia Helps with Christmas. Again, Falconer uses his children as characters in the story, and they seem so real. In Olivia Saves the Circus, she again shows her energetic and uncanny ability to please people with her courage. When she realized that all of the circus performers at the circus that she and her mother went to were sick, she begins to perform the circus acts.
In reading this book, I learned that children’s books in general have the ability to please even adults. Falconer teaches children and adults that life is what we make it, and these characters have busy daily lives, but they make time for each other. This book says a lot about the closeness of family as well.
References
Falconer, I. (2000). Olivia. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
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