Jessica Olien

Karl and Hazel were two very different kinds of polar bear. Loud and outgoing, Karl assumed that the quiet, introverted Hazel was a bit mean because she never joined in his games, while bookish Hazel, too shy to speak up, found Karl somewhat intimidating (not to mention smelly!). But when the two bears found themselves adrift on the same iceberg, they eventually became the best of friends, developing a relationship that would endure, even when they had returned to land...

Jessica Olien's show more third picture-book, following upon Shark Detective! and The Blobfish Book, Adrift: An Odd Couple of Polar Bears is an engaging tale of two individuals who at first seem incompatible, but, after being forced together by circumstance, discover that they make good friends. The bright, colorful cartoon-like illustrations, complete with speech bubbles for the characters' dialogue, add to the sense of fun, and capture Karl and Hazel's evolving emotional states quite nicely. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about friendship, and looking beyond first impressions in figuring out who to befriend. show less

A cartoon-like blobfish continually intervenes in this ostensibly non-fiction picture-book account of the creatures of the deep sea, expressing a desire for more attention to himself and his kind. As the main narrative profiles creatures from the viperfish to the blenny fish, the blobfish adds his own commentary. When the narrator finally does get to blobfish, mentioning that they have been voted the world's ugliest creatures, our aquatic interventionist is terribly hurt, and must be show more comforted by his fellow deep-sea creatures.

I wasn't sure what to expect, going into The Blobfish Book, but I ended up finding it rather unsatisfactory, both as an informational book, and as a humorous tale. I expect that the dual narrative structure and meta-fictional self-awareness of the blobfish are meant to create a sense of whimsy and fun, but I can't say I was particularly amused. Humor is, of course, highly individual, so there's nothing to say that others won't find this humorous. That said, I also felt that, despite the informational back-matter, there wasn't enough substance here to really make Olien's book a success, as a work on non-fiction. I wanted more about some of these creatures, and while I suppose the author is to be credited for creating that desire to learn more, I just wasn't that impressed with what information was made available. If the blobfish is an endangered species, perhaps a fictional tale focusing on that would have been more to the point? Or, perhaps a more in-depth non-fiction examination of all the species mentioned would have been more satisfactory. As it is, I felt that this title really didn't work as either fiction or non-fiction. show less

A little mouse plans for the upcoming visit of a tiger in this newest picture-book from author/illustrator Jessica Olien, creator of such titles as The Blobfish Book and Adrift: An Odd Couple of Polar Bears. With his copy of "How To Impress a Tiger" in hand, the mouse imagines that tigers do not like checkers, that they love peanut butter sandwiches, and that they should be greeted with a big, loud "ROAR!" Unfortunately, the mouse's book isn't as accurate as it could be, and the visiting show more tiger is quite taken aback at the greeting give her...

When a Tiger Comes to Dinner is the third Olien title that I have read, and it cements my impression, gained from the previous two, that she is a hit or miss picture-book creator for me. Sometimes I like her books, and sometimes they fail to impress. Unfortunately, this was a case of the latter kind. There's nothing really wrong here - I would imagine that some young children will find the story premise engaging, and the artwork cute - but overall I simply couldn't work up much interest in the mouse or his tigrine visitor. I think that perhaps my love for Judith Kerr's classic The Tiger Who Came to Tea undermined my enjoyment here. Recommended primarily to Jessica Olien fans. show less

This story was so funny and relatable. Two polar bears that are complete opposites from each other get stuck alone together. Karl thinks Hazel is too quiet and Hazel thinks Karl is too loud. Throughout their adventure, they ignore each other until they both spot some birds that fascinated them. I think that is when they found their common ground and started to get along. This can teach anyone that opposites attract when they finally give each other a chance. The author notes encourage the show more readers to try and save the North Pole's ice from melting. I think that this book is a great introduction to teach young students how they can save the polar bears' and other animals' habitat. show less