Currently reading
MirrorMask (children's edition)
The Unreal and the Real: Selected Stories, Volume One: Where on Earth
Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Riders of the Purple Sage
Vampires, Zombies, & Wanton Souls
I loved everything about Olivia. Falconer's simple color scheme - black, grey, white, and red - works with the excellent drawings. The vibrant red screams at you off the page every time it comes up!I loved watching our toddler Sigourney's reaction to Olivia's actions. She giggled repeatedly. Olivia's behavior and personality are so familiar! Trying on every stitch of clothing in the house, getting a well-deserved time out, refusing to sleep, motoring about with a seemingly endless supply of energy - our family's right in the midst of that stage now. Exhausting! That's why the final exchange between Mom and Olivia is so perfect:
MOM: "You know, you really wear me out. But I love you anyway."
OLIVIA: "I love you anyway too."
Clearly Falconer has direct knowledge of such exchanges. It's this first-hand experience combined with his artistic skill that lifts Olivia from good to Caldecott-great.