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Olivia (Hardcover) (精装)
by Ian Falconer
| Category:
Children's book, Age 4-8, Picture books, Pig |
| Market price: ¥ 178.00
MSL price:
¥ 168.00
[ Shop incentives ]
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
MSL Pointer Review:
Whether at home getting ready for the day, enjoying the beach, or at bedtime, Olivia is a feisty pig who has too much energy for her own good.
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-26 00:00>
What a nice little book for kids. No big bad wolves. No mean kids. No mean grown-ups. No one is abandoned or lost. No name-calling.
What a nice little book for grown-ups, with New Yorker artist Ian Falconer's kindhearted, eye-catching illustrations and perceptive humor that really feels like one parent talking to another (although I guess the character is modeled on his niece actually).
Just a cute portrayal of a happy little girl, highlighting some of the universal qualities found in happy little girls. Olivia likes to dance. Her mother let's her know that she loves her but is worn out by the end of a day with her. Olivia likes to go to the beach. She builds sand castles. She goes to the art museum and thinks about the paintings she likes. She gets in a little trouble trying to make her own home Pollock mural. She likes having books read to her at bedtime and enters intense negotiations concerning the appropriate number of books.
(I see that there are some sequels out. I'm a little nervous about checking them out. Whenever I see a kids book I like, it seems to be followed up by sequels that don't live up to mark set by the original, but we'll see.)
What I enjoyed most about this book is that it is an easy book for a parent to read in an interactive way. There are lots of opportunities to ask questions: What do you think Olivia thinking in this picture? How are you like Olivia? How are you different? And so on. Big thumbs up. |
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Patrick Goonan (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-26 00:00>
I don't normally review children's books; however, this one is very special. The art is superb and the main character, Olivia, is as humorous, lovable, artistic and curious. She is quite precocious and even most adults will be charmed by her antics. I laughed out loud at several parts and enjoyed reading the book myself.
If you are trying to instill artistic or creative aspirations in your children, this is probably a good book to own. My understanding is that in subsequent books Olivia's personality is more controversial, but I haven't heard anyone complain about this one.
The later books I have seen in this series have been different than the original including a personality shift in Olivia toward being more mischievous and perhaps even "over the top" with respect to some behaviors that parents may not want to encourage in growing children. I suggest you read reviews of specific books before purchasing additional Olivia books if this is an area of concern.
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James Ferguson (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-26 00:00>
It is amazing what a talented artist can do with the most simple aspects of life, when he finds the perfect persona for those actions. This book is a real treat, not only for pre-schoolers but adults as well. This just maybe the best children's book series since Harold and the Purple Crayon, drawing on the ordinary and making it into the extraordinary.
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Catherine Vodrey (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-26 00:00>
Ian Falconer has been kind enough, with his superb "Olivia," to give the reading public a new classic children's heroine. Nothing much happens to Olivia--a little tiny girl pig who seems to live both right next to an idyllic sandy beach and in New York City--yet she is such an enjoyable character study that the lack of plot and eventfulness is of no consequence.
Using an extremely spare palette of only black, white, and a sumptuous lipstick red, Falconer, renders Olivia with just a few swift lines and smudges, yet she is indelible and memorable. She is by turns snooty, curious, stubborn, exasperated, mischievous, cranky, and more. She is, in short, every little girl (indeed, every child) and grabs our hearts because she appears as a delicate little porker instead of a human. Somehow, that elevates Olivia out of the realm of the ordinary. Thank you, Ian Falconer!
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Chris Valentine (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-26 00:00>
The cover caught my attention. Olivia was written big and boldly across it. A white piglet wearing a red dress with a black bow tie and zebra stripped stockings. It begged me to read it.
Author and Illustrator Ian Falconer has written a funny book about a little piglet named 'Olivia' who has too much energy. My favorite part of the book are the first four lines: "This is Olivia. She is good at lots of things. She is very good at wearing people out. She even wears herself out." The reader is shown (on two pages) a series of drawings in succession of Olivia jumping, running, standing on her head, yelling, playing ball, etc. and finally (the last drawing) she is flat on her back exhausted.
You can see her driving her mom crazy. She's adorable to read about but if she were my daughter she'd drive me crazy also. In my baby name book 'Olivia' means 'holy'. Not quite Olivia I thought. I got the dictionary and read through all the definitions for 'holy'. There it was at the bottom 'holy terror, a troublesome child'. Bingo! Now that's Olivia but in a funny way.
As I read through the book I could hear myself giggling. Laughter is good for the soul, so go ahead and get a heavy dose of Olivia. I recommend it. It's good for you!
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E. Rothstein (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-26 00:00>
Thank God for Ian Falconer; his arch humor and sly drawings make him a worthy heir to the tradition of Maurice Sendak, Hilary Knight, and Kay Thompson (a huge compliment I don't bestow lightly). Olivia is a little pig with big attitude, and more style than the Duchess of Windsor. I can't decide which is more fun - reading this incredibly funny book to my two year old, or chuckling privately to myself at the hilarious drawings. No matter, both of us love it, and I am grateful for a (rare) book that bridges the kid/parent taste gap so elegantly and effortlessly. This book is a MUST for any parent of a toddler. Read it, love it, and then grab the newest installment, "OLIVIA SAVES THE CIRCUS". Heaven on a stick! |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-26 00:00>
When I read about this book in the NYT Book review, I had to get it for my 4-year old daughter for Christmas! She is Olivia! I laugh hysterically as I read about Olivia trying on every piece of clothing she owns; as she sings, dances, runs, jumps,primps, pouts, paints (on paper and our walls!!)pretends, dreams, reads, you name it!(And wears her mother out!) Olivia does it all! I read this story to my daughter every night before she goes to bed with it and dreams about being a famous opera-singing ballerina, as she puts it!
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Donald Mitchell (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-26 00:00>
Many people compare Olivia to Eloise. While that's certainly a possible model, the more obvious one to me is of Miss Piggy transformed into the setting of her family, rather than being with the Muppets. Olivia's all energy, all female, always dreaming of starring in the arts, and all ready for action. As such, she's a female role model of an upscale Dennis the Menace for the new Millennium.
The story takes you through Olivia's favorite activities. She loves to try on and change clothes, put on make-up, be active with her family and pets, and learn about the arts. Olivia clearly benefits from Ian Falconer's background as someone who paints, illustrates, and has done costume and set design for operas and ballet.
Olivia has four primary appeals for me. First, she is hilariously drawn . . . all head and ears with her snout sticking up in the air atop tiny legs and even smaller hind feet with her horizontally striped tights showing. Second, she is a whirling dervish with wonderful drawn sequences of many different illustrations on two page spreads that capture incredible energy and variation. Third, she is absolutely irrepressible . . . the kind of dauntless child that most parents would like to have. Stimulation . . . not a nap . . . is her need. You can imagine her running for president of the United States in a few years on the Fine Arts ticket. Fourth, there is a wonderful connection to fine art here that you can use to interest your child. The book includes reproductions of two paintings (one of dancers by Degas and a "drip" one by Jackson Pollock}, a book about Maria Callas, and references to Olivia painting, dancing, and singing an aria.
If Eloise is the original material girl with confidence, then Olivia is the modern version of the Alcott sisters getting ready to perform on the big stage of life.
Parents will appreciate that this story develops the theme also of how exhausting it can be to be always engaging with your child. This kind of story makes it possible to establish limits based on mutual love and respect, rather than discipline by habit.
After you have finished enjoying the story, I suggest that you ask your child what she or he dreams about. Then find books, paintings, videos, and other reference materials that can stimulate his or her imagination about those subjects of interest. Children, like adults, learn best when focused on something they already like.
Go whole hog with Olivia and have a ball!
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Edward Aycock (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-26 00:00>
I love Ian Falconer's New Yorker covers, and now I love Olivia too. I only discovered Olivia just this afternoon while I was browsing at the local bookstore. Olivia reminds one of Elopise, but at the same time, it's nice to see her with parents and siblings. I was enchanted by this book, I laughed out loud, and darn it all... if I had only had a few bucks more, I would have bought it. The prose is simple, but sharp and direct, and the artwork is hysterical (especially when Olivia's brother is shown copying everything she does.)
Even more fun is Olivia's appreciation for art and the like. Imagine a little kid wanting a Callas picture book read to them. It's touches like this that make Olivia the clear winner as one of the best picture books to emerge this past year. I am hoping Falconer will write a few more books about this precious piglet. In the meantime, be proud to buy a copy of this book for yourself, even if you don't have any kids. It will definitely be the literary high point of your week.
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John DiBello (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-26 00:00>
"This is Olivia," begins Ian Falconer's delightful picture book about a precocious piglet. "She is good at lots of things." In charming and hilarious illustrations, Olivia's busy adventures take her through dress-up, playing with her cat, going to the beach and museum, (reluctantly) taking a nap, and going to bed after just one story...no, three stories.
This simply is one of the finest children's picture books of the year, and sure to be named on everyone's Top of 2000 list. Quietly humorous and tongue-in-cheek narration, fluid and expressive black-and-white-and-red artwork, and the charming portrayal of the busy and mischievous Olivia make this an instant classic. Sight gags abound (Olivia's ambitious sandcastle, her pink-pink sunburn, her dreams of being a ballerina, and her songbook "40 Very Loud Songs") and Falconer, a New Yorker cover artist and theatre designer, portrays the never-ending energy of a tiny pig, er, girl, with wit and charm.
Don't miss this one: suitable for all ages from the very young to the very old, "Olivia" is the prize of the season. It's the kind of book kids will be begging to have read to them before bed: bargaining for not once, not twice, but three times.
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1 Total 1 pages 10 items |
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