Olivia

The first captivating book about the delectable piglet, Olivia, begins, "This is Olivia. She is good at lots of things. She is very good at wearing people out. She even wears herself out." Olivia trundles stoically through her days, building a sand Empire State Building at the beach, dancing instead of napping, and painting a spattered Jackson Pollock-style mural on the wall after seeing one of his paintings at the museum. ("I could do that in about five minutes," she says. "As soon as she gets home she gives it a try.") On the following page, the pensive, paint-spattered tyke is sitting alone on the bottom step. "Time out," the caption reads. The quirky, understated language is just right for the adorable charcoal and gouache grey-toned illustrations, set off with Olivia in her signature all-red wardrobe.

Themes : BEHAVIOR. HUMOR. IDENTITY.