Olivia by Ian Falconer

Olivia by Ian Falconer
Buy Olivia by Ian Falconer at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: A picture book which will appeal to both parents and children, as we join Olivia for a very tiring day in her life. Definitely recommended
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 40	Date: August 2009
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 978-1847385857
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Olivia, just like lots of little girls, is very good at lots of things and most of all she is very good at tiring people out. But Olivia is a pig – well a piglet, actually – but she's articulate, independent and the sort of piglet you would love to get to know. We follow her through her day as she does all the things that a young pig must do – getting up, moving the cat, brushing her teeth and combing her ears and then moving the cat again. She has to try absolutely every piece of clothing on and finally settling for something of her own before heading for the beach with her mother.

It's a lovely story which most parents will empathise with. The line drawings are a delight and I had tears running down my face at Olivia's assurance that she could produce a work of art of the same quality as a Jackson Pollock. Predictably her attempt to do this on her bedroom wall produces a lot of mess and some time out on the stairs.

If I have one concern it's that the book might be directed a little more at the parents (and particularly American parents) than at their children – there's the sandcastle which Olivia produces which looks suspiciously like the Empire State Building and the works of art which put me in mind of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Some of these jokes are going to go over the heads of the target age group and even if they're explained are not going to mean a great deal.

That's me quibbling though. It's a delight of a book and a true classic. The text is simple and to the point. The line drawings in muted tones make you want to hug Olivia – even when she's being just a little bit naughty.

This edition has the bonus of a CD with sound effects and music and the text read by Dame Edna Everage. It's an excellent combination.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending this book to The Bookbag.

For more piglets for children we can recommend Don't Lose Pigley, Wibbly Pig! by Mick Inkpen. Slightly older children will love Beryl Goes Wild by Jane Simmons.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Olivia by Ian Falconer at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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