We recently borrowed a copy of Olivia from our local library. This is the first in a series of books by Ian Falconer. There is not a strong story to it, but it features a trip to the beach (because it’s sunny) and a trip to the museum (because it’s rainy). The museum trip features two pieces of real art, so that is nice to have mixed in. The book is set in black and white and red which is a very effective use of color to emphasize things for young readers.
Olivia, like all young children, likes to sing loud songs and has way too much energy. The book follows her through a typical day, which involves brushing teeth/hair, getting dressed, terrorizing her brother, refusing to nap, going somewhere, eating dinner, and demanding multiple books for bed time. Sound familiar? Thought so.
Just like when I let my child pick her clothes to wear, Olivia takes a long time and has to try on everything. The two pages dedicated to this feature Olivia in 17 different outfits and provide a great opportunity to learn some words. Keeping with the art style almost all the clothing is red which makes it easy to point to and discuss with your child.
Olivia is very smart and has a vivid imagination. While looking at the artwork of ballerinas in the museum, Olivia imagines herself as a ballerina. This provides a great talking point with your child of how to use your imagination. The other artwork in the museum is an abstract painting, which Olivia says she could paint in about five minutes. She goes home and tries. In the process, she gets paint all over the floor, rug, and wall. Olivia is appropriately punished with a timeout for making a mess. Then she has a bath, eats dinner, reads books with her mom, and finishes with goodnight kisses and exchanges of “I love you anyway” with her mom.
Overall this book has some great concepts for a young reader, a good format for emphasizing objects/characters, and a healthy parent-child relationship. There’s enough reality in the story that kids can relate to Olivia and that helps children to learn.
| Pros | Cons |
| Effective use of limited color | None |
| Healthy parent-child relationship |
| Breakdown | |
| Current Price | $5.34 |
| Duration | 3:00 – 3:30 |
| Longest Syllable Word | 4 (Olivia) |
| Contractions Used | 8 (he’s, won’t, it’s, she’s, Olivia’s, doesn’t, that’s, they’ve) |
The Slanted Shelf 