Olivia

Written & Illustrated By: Ian Falconer

Genre: fiction, fantasy

Awards: Caldecott Honor, 2001

               ALA Notable Children's Books, 2001

               SLJ Best of the Best Books

              Children's Literature Choice List

              Bulletin Blue Ribbon

Summary:

Olivia is a lively little pig who is especially good at wearing people out. She loves to do a bit of everything, including playing dress-up and painting. Her family encourages Olivia to explore her interests by taking her to the museum, the beach, and other places. After she gets too enthusiastic, Olivia lands herself in timeout, which eventually helps her wind down. She settles into bed with a story from her mom and ends her festive day. 

Teacher Evaluation:

I would recommend this story for kindergarten or first-grade classrooms. Kindergarten classes could work on art projects to draw their families as Olivia did in the story. Teachers could create an art gallery for classroom visitors to see the work. First-grade classes could work on comparing and contrasting using a Venn diagram. Students could find similarities and differences between themselves and Olivia. Students could also compare the pigs in the book to real pigs.