Olivia's Opposites FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
Figuring up from down is a blast when Olivia's helping us! In this playful companion board book to Olivia Counts, Ian Falconer's popular piglet leads toddlers through an imaginative lesson in opposites.
Long, short, coming, going -- Olivia does it with flair. On the "up" page, the adorable heroine is jumping high in the air, and she's lying flat on her back on "down." "Coming/going" shows Olivia in a red safety helmet, riding in on a scooter and practicing her balancing on the way out. And with her lion tamer gear on, Olivia gets into a roaring match with a ferocious feline on the "quiet/loud" spread. More charming Olivia opposites include plain and fancy, open and closed, and long and short.
Depicted in simple and charismatic three-color illustrations, Falconer's Olivia is one entertaining teacher. Youngsters will be drawn to her go-get-'em attitude, and with her snout held high in the air, Olivia's as pleased as punch to help them learn. Olivia is one piglet that's definitely the opposite of dull. (Matt Warner)
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Keep up with a busy Olivia as she changes her mind about clothes and direction and just about everything in this spirited concept book that's all about opposites.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
What better way for toddlers to learn the basics than with two board books starring Ian Falconer's Olivia? Youngsters start with one ball at the beach (in the signature red-and-white stripes) and finish with ten Olivias jumping rope, doing handstands and sprawling on a beach towel in Olivia Counts. A red numeral accompanies each scene. In Olivia's Opposites she demonstrates word pairs with comic flair (for instance, she models a scarlet evening gown for long and a red tutu for short). Both feature b&w and red illustrations from Falconer's Caldecott Honor book, Olivia, and its companion, Olivia Saves the Circus. (June) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot
Our porcine heroine is appearing again and this time in books for the truly younger set. A pair of board books, one that relates to the concept of opposites and the other that stresses counting, is now available. These are not your typical opposites. There is Up and Down, Long and Short, Open and Closed, but Coming and Going as well as Plain and Fancy are pretty sophisticated for the board book crowd. The Falconer humor is thereﾽin particular in the spread featuring Quiet and Loud. No one can top Olivia when it comes to shouting. Olivia's Opposites is another enjoyable offering for those who have grown to love this perky little pig. 2002, Atheneum/Simon & Schuster,
School Library Journal
In Counts, sketches in charcoal and gouache depict the piglet with one ball, two bows, three pots of paint, etc., up to a final spread of 10, with Olivia performing different stunts and in different outfits or accessories. In Opposites, she wears a long evening dress and a short tutu; is intimidated by a loud lion before bellowing back; appears in a plain pair of red briefs, then is decked out with fancy red heels, bows, lipstick, and jewelry. Of the two, Opposites is totally engaging; Counts is an additional choice for young fans.-Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
She's up; she's down. She's plain; she's fancy (very fancy), because Olivia the piglet is definitely a star character with a firm sense of style. Her creator has fashioned a clever and quite successful explanation of the concept of opposites, presented in board format with laminated pages. In just six pairs of opposites, he shows contrasts in motions, sound, and appearance, with lots of action and humor to make both preschoolers and their parents smile. Olivia zips onto the page on her scooter to illustrate "coming," and then zooms right off the next page with a handstand on the scooter handles to demonstrate "going." In another delightful pairing, Olivia is "quiet," while a lion from her circus days is "loud," and on the next page, it's Olivia who is loud, and the lion that is quiet and meek. The final word pair shows Olivia's mouth wide "open" and then "closed," echoing the parallel construct of an open and closed book. Falconer (Olivia Counts) again uses charcoal and gouache for his illustrations, creating a sophisticated palette of gray, black, and white with Olivia's favorite bright red for her clothing and accessories. Surely Olivia needs to learn her alphabet and identify colors beyond red next. Have we had enough of Olivia? Quite the opposite.
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