37. Olivia saves the circus

If you hadn't noticed, these last couple of books have been a departure from my earlier reviews of deep, serious picture books. While I love the meat and depth of feeling in those books, sometimes we all need a moment to giggle and enjoy the simple pleasures. That's why I brought you Knuffle Bunny and now Olivia Saves the Circus (2001) by Ian Falconer. I had never read either one before.

 

No, I haven't been living under a rock for years...I do know who Olivia is. Her books are everywhere and her image is plastered over all sorts of things for children. Which is why I never paid much attention-- for little kids, I thought, and way too overrated. Now, I'm not going to get into whether or not she is over commercialized, but I will say that this book was cute.


Olivia is a strong-willed, rambunctious, imaginative piglet. By the way, I love that the main character is a strong girl-- usually books with creative, adventurous characters feature boys. In this installment, Olivia recounts for her class what she did on vacation-- why, she ran the circus of course. And she did everything like a pro, from juggling to tightrope to the trampoline. The story is told in the first person, so you hear Olivia's unabashed self-confidence and personality coming through. She is a girl who knows who she is (no boring uniform for her...accessorize!), and that I feel is a great role model for girls of all ages.


Falconer uses charcoal and gouache to create his illustrations. His gray sketches create a backdrop for Olivia's vibrant red and pink clothes to shine. In fact, with the exception of parts of the circus, no other character or scene gets any color except for her. That's because Falconer knows she is the star. He rarely frames his pages, but rather lets the moments stand on their own. His endpapers and title page even feature little cartoon-like strips where we see Olivia preparing for her day. The illustrations are minimalist, but I loved the added 'easter eggs' like the portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt above Olivia's bed-- kids won't know who that is or get the reference, but Falconer puts it in there so the adults know just what kind of woman Olivia looks up to. Falconer also creates motion in a 4 page spread (that you open) where Olivia performs on the trampoline, flying through the air. Her face expresses so much emotion with the slight change of her eyes.

There were a couple of little moments I loved in the book. One was where Falconer's words and images were contradictory on purpose--  she was 'a big help to her mother' in making breakfast, but we as the reader see the piles of dishes in the sink that Mom will surely not be happy with. Two other moments stood out as being totally accurate portrayals of a little kid-- one is where she finished her circus story then squeezes in small text, "Then one time my dad took me sailing The End." That one made me laugh out loud because I've heard many a story by little ones. The other true-to-life moment was when her mom asks her what she did at school today and she replies, 'nothing'. Typical.


So anyways, the book is adorable and has some nice elements for the older set in it. Little kids will love it for the cute pictures and simple story. I like it for spotlighting a girl who is no damsel in distress.