Product Description

Olivia is a gorgeous little pig who likes to dress up, sing songs, dance, think, snooze and is even quite good at building sandcastles. At the end of the day, when she snuggles up in bed and her mother reads her a story (or three), Olivia feels very full of love. Ages 3+.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #115848 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-10
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 40 pages

About the Author
When not telling Olivia's story Ian Falconer designs sets and costumes for the New York City Ballet, the San Francisco Opera, and the Royal Opera House in London. He lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Yes, Virginia, It Is True, Olivia is a Pig
Olivia, Olivia, Olivia, my daughter-in-law's requests for books for my dear granddaughter. Ian Falconer vividly portrays Olivia as one of those pigs, um..er.. you would like to know. She is smart, creative,(draws on her walls as well as any unknown painter could), and articulate- she addresses her mother in full sentences and seems to know without a beat the questions her dear mother will ask. Olivia is without a doubt the best darn pig this side of the Mississippi. The pictures in Olivia are billiant- Olivia favors the color red. Olivia has it all, a storyline that will hook the mom and dad as well as the child, large print, easy to read, and an end to the story that invites another book to come..

A smart book for smart kids (and their parents)
Like a previous reviewer, I decided to buy this book for my almost-5-year-old the second I looked at the illustrations (the Jackson Pollock page had me rolling in the aisles of the British Bookshop in Vienna). What I adore about this book and its sequel -- apart from the loving respect shown for Small People With A Will Of Their Own, and the sly humour that keeps grown-ups from rebelling at the 39th reading -- is the appreciation for the arts (ballet, painting, architecture, opera...) that Falconer manages to slide in. My daughter, an aspiring ballerina, painter and circus performer, finds a great deal of affirmation and support for her own little dreams in Olivia's adventures -- as well as a good conspiratorial chuckle, when she sees that she and her Mummy are not the only ones at odds over what's a better use of time, a nap or a good bounce on the bed. Just brilliant!

Very cute and clever in an understated way
My daughter adores it; maybe because she is much like Olivia, the endearing female piglet with ballet aspirations.

The best books for children are those not looking down on them, where humour is grown-up and where the writer is not afraid to talk to a child as an equal.

Limited to black and red, laconic colour scheme is very expressive and lets the child's imagination run wild.