Book Twenty Two: Olivia

Olivia by Ian Falconer
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing/Atheneum; 1st ed edition (October 1, 2000)
Lexile: 270L


This is a story about a little pig named Olivia, and the text is all about a day in the life of Olivia. Olivia loves to do many things such as dress up, sing, and build sand castles. Through out the whole day Olivia sees things such as a dancer or a painting, and she decides that she can do that. So she paints her walls and dances (not to the pleasure of her mother).

This is one of my all time favorite books because it is so funny, and you actually feel like you are living a day inside this little pigs head. The plot is so simple, but it is what makes this such a great story. I think I also love that we all go through those days where we think the world revolves around us. The author also incorporates a lot of great verbs and adjectives to add to the emotion of the story. His descriptions are really what helps me get into the story. This story is also very believable, and I would have to say almost everyone has had a day like this. This is a story that students will relate to, and really enjoy. The illustrations are what makes this story because he does such a fabulous job of using color. He really adds a lot of humor and enjoyment to the story just by looking at the pictures.

I would use this book to teach about feelings and emotions because this book does such a fabulous job of connecting illustrations to text when talking about feelings and emotions. It is also an important thing to have conversations with students about, and that usually can lead into teaching about adjectives.


Thanks for reading!

Gorms