Olivia by Ian Falconer

Book Information:  Olivia written and Illustrated by Ian Falconer, 2008, Antheneum Books for Young Readers, New York, NY

ISBN: 0-689-82953-1

Awards: Caldecott Honor Book 2000,

Plot Summary: Olivia is a high energy little girl with a big imagination that often wears her mother out.  Her family keeps her occupied by visiting many fun places from the beach to museum, but even then Olivia has too much energy for her mother to manage.  She ends up receiving a time out before bedtime, but all is well when she and her mother read her favorite stories together.

Illustrations:  Ian Falconer wrote and illustrated this hilarious story about a precocious little pig.  His illustrations are simple and, with the exception of the color red used for impact, are done all in black and white.  Some pages are filled with Olivia dressing in various clothing outfits trying to decide on what to wear for the day, while other pages are dominated by a single large illustration of a sand castle or painting.  The illustrations compliment the text as they are both sparse and contain a quirky deadpan comedy.  Especially at the end of the book when Olivia’s mother tells her “‘…you wear me out. But I love you anyway'” to which Olivia responds “‘I love you anyway too.'”  The story is funny and sweet without being overly done just as the illustrations are, which makes it a great choice for adults and children to share.

        

 

Children’s Programming Options: 

Story Time –  Olivia is a wonderful book that can be used for story times for children as young as 3 years old.  The reason for this is the sparse text and graphic images.  This book is also appropriate for children in Pre-school story times, as it introduces themes about art and good decision-making that older children preparing for Kindergarten understand.  The story time themes this book would be appropriate for are Pigs, Art, Imagination and Behavior.

One on One – When reading Olivia to a child one on one, the illustrations are graphic and interesting, especially the pictures of Olivia in various clothes and costumes.  It sparks much discussion about what each costume or uniform represents and even allows for the child’s own imagination to soar just as Olivia does in the book.

Classroom – Ian Falconer and his books could be highlighted in the classroom during an educational module on authors and illustrators.  His distinctive style is a great representation of simple, monochromatic art and is a great foil to illustrators such as David Shannon and David Kirk who’s  artwork is so colorful.  This book would also be a great compliment to a lesson on Art as Olivia visits a museum then produces her own “artwork” at home much to the dismay of her mother.

About the Author:  Ian Falconer is a painter and illustrator and Olivia was his first children’s book.  Since the debut of Olivia in 2000, Ian Falconer has gone on to write and illustrate more than 10 books in the Olivia series.  Falconer has also illustrated for The New Yorker magazine and designed costumes and sets for the theatre.  The characters of Olivia and Ian who appear in this book are based on Falconers own niece and nephew.

 

 

References:

Association for Library Service to Children. 2015. “Caldecott Medal & Honor Books 1938 – present.”  Retrieved on March 17, 2015 from : http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecotthonors/caldecottmedal

Falconer, Ian. 2008. Olivia. Antheneum Books for Young Readers. New York, NY.

Ian Falconer. Wikipedia. 2015. Retrieved on March 17, 2015 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Falconer

Publishers Weekly. “Olivia.” Retrieved on March 17, 2015 from: http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-689-82953-6