His elegant, charcoal drawings with occasional splashes of colour also lends the books a distinctively retro feel. Falconer revealed that his use of white space was inspired by Dr Seuss. She hammers and paints on walls yet loves opera and ballet, and remains a very feminine pig in her choice of attire.Īt first glance, you'd be forgiven for thinking the Olivia books date from the 1950s or 60s. Olivia challenges the stereotypical view of girls. Which is why I list Olivia in my Good to Read recommendations. Even now, they never fail to put a smile on my face. There are several Olivia titles in Falconer's series, and they were always favourites to read with the boys when they were young. Which makes Olivia a suitably feisty role model for little girls everywhere! "Even at 3," he says, "the real Olivia could argue, stonewall, bulldoze or filibuster her way through any inconvenience to achieve her goal. "It would be so boring if she was as good as gold all the time," says Falconer, who based her on his niece, Olivia. She certainly knows her own mind, and while being a little brattish at times, is utterly charming. Written and illustrated by Ian Falconer, Olivia is a spunky, self-opinionated piglet, described by some as a prima donna. That’s the kind of family detail that you can expect to see in an Olivia book! Their 20-month-old baby, Heidi, upended her bowl of custard on her head, and wore it as a hat. This week I was having tea with some friends.
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