Olivia . . . and the Missing Toy

I have to say, I completely disagree with those who have said this is less good than the other Olivias, and/or just the story of a spoilt little pig/girl. For me, this is a far more complex story: it's all about the complexity of family, and the addition of ANOTHER COLOR is the best metaphor I've encountered for what happens to relationships when it's more than two people involved. Personally I feel that those who think the heart of the book is Olivia's lack of manners aremissing the point: so much attention is given to the mother's facial expressions, which show us all we need to know about what that mother thinks of the father's spoiling response to the loss of the toy. I should also say that my 2 yr old daughter really loves the book, for reasons that have nothing to do with being spoilt: she loves (as do I) the way that when Olivia asks her baby brother, Ian, "WHERES MY TOY?", Ian replies, "Wooshie Gaga". This moment of comic genius is alone worth the price of the book.

Ya es tercer libro de Olivia que compro para mis hijas, y todos ellos son muy entretenidos tanto como educativos. Este tambien nos enseña una buena leccion de vida.

I have sometimes suspected that one reason people have children is to have an excuse to buy cool kids' toys and books. Despite the lack of youngsters in my home, I wanted to read about Olivia's adventures. If you are over the age of five the plot may seem a little thin, but even those of us who long ago left childhood behind will be charmed by the illustrations. As someone who has read many stories to children, I enjoyed reading this while imagining reading it aloud to a young audience. Now I suppose I'll have to rent some children and read the entire series to them. ;o)

Ian Falconer has built a large fan base with the silly pig,Olivia. Her pig antics are on a human scale, and children and adults can identify with her. Olivia has her mind set on a new jersey and not the kind her friends have. Her mom is busy with this new jersey until Olivia discovers her favorite toy is missing- everything in the household stops to help Olivia find her toy. Alas, it is gone. In a dream/nightmare Olivia sees her dog chewing on her favorite toy- oh no, mommy sews it back together and Olivia is free to move on to other things. I know Olivia lives in the heart of her young readers. My granddaughter sent me the following: "hi grammathe new olivia book came and i love it! she is such a silly piggy. mom says she is a little ornery like me. i don't know what she means. thank you for thinking of me and for the nice prezzie." This says it all- don't you think? prisrob

Olivia stories are written and drawn with all the stops pulled - Ian Falconer is now successful enough not to worry about agreed standards of children's writing and not to make allowances for those who fancy the predictable. The plot line and the dialogue have the raw vitality that may surprise - and even, as we see from reviews, disappoint - some who expect a book to be more straight-forwardly didactic.Yes, Olivia seems not to appreciate mum's effort in making her a new shirt and rewards dad instead by saying she loves him most - because he promises a trip to Piglet's World or whatever the name of the purveyors of piggy toys may be. YES, this is not a commendable behaviour - yet you know you've done that yourself. I know I have - not proud of it, but it's part of my childhood."But isn't the book supposed to tell a child it's wrong?", you may ask. Well, it could, but it does not necessarily have to. The child has parents who can I am sure confidently rely on their own judgment and discuss it with the child if and then they see it appropriate. I am delighted the political correctness and resulting blandness does not affect every book and some writers are confident enough in us readers to perhaps allow us to have some independent input.This Olivia book is drawn as beautifully as any in the series. The bits where Olivia looks for the toy around the house with a candle-stick in her hand betrays Falconer's theatrical background in a delightfully tongue-in-cheek manner.When I bought the first Olivia book I thought to myself; "I want to get every book by Ian Falconer". Several Olivias later, I still feel the same way.