Olivia Saves the Circus

I enjoyed this book first because it encourages imagination. The main character Olivia isn’t afraid to get up in front of her class and tell them all about how she saved the circus. She was a tightrope walker and lion tamer, a tattooed lady, and rode the elephants. I think it is important for kids to know that it is a good thing to keep their imagination alive. I also loved the illustrations because they enhanced the story line. For example, when Olivia was explaining everything she did at the circus one of the pages only said “Luckily I knew how to do everything” but in the background she was riding elephants. This shows the reader yet another thing she was doing without having to list it specifically. The pictures also do a good show more job at showing how vibrant Olivia’s personality is. While the entire book is black, grey, and white, there are splashes of red mostly on her outfits or something she is using. Finally, I enjoyed this story because Olivia is a very relatable character. She tries to be a help to her mom in the morning, but winds up being a bit of a burden when she dirties the kitchen making her brothers breakfast. This reminds me of a lot of younger children, including myself. When I tried so hard to help my parents out and didn’t realize that I was probably doing the opposite. Her imagination reminds me of my own when I was younger, and when she was supposed to be sleeping, instead she was jumping on the bed. I think kids of all ages would be able to relate to her. In my opinion, the big idea of the story was that it’s a good thing to have a strong imagination and that although there are times to be serious, not to take things too seriously. show less

That hyperactive porcine wonder, Olivia the pig, returns in this second delightful picture-book devoted to her adventures, this time sharing a highly embroidered and imaginative retelling of her vacation experiences with her classmates. Attending a circus where all the performers are out sick with ear infections, Olivia the ever-ready steps in and performs ALL of the circus roles herself... or so she maintains when sharing the tale at show-and-tell.

Like its predecessor, the Caldecott Honor-winning Olivia, Olivia Saves the Circus features an imaginative and feisty young girl-pig, one who is headstrong but also essentially goodhearted. The artwork, done in charcoal and gouache, is absolutely lovely, capturing the humor of the tale show more perfectly. My favorite scene was the one in which the lion roars at Olivia, and she roars right back at him, although the exasperated expression on the face of Olivia's teacher is priceless as well. Highly recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed the first Olivia book, or who enjoys stories about imaginative and feisty young girls. show less

Olivia Saves the Circus is about a pig who goes to school and tells a very vivid story. She and her mother go to the circus, but everyone has an ear infection. Luckily, Olivia is an expert at every aspect of the circus! When she is finished telling the story the teacher obviously knows she is making it all up. She questions Olivia if its all true, she said to her recollection. Olivia's mother asked about school and her response was "fine." Olivia has a great sense of imagination that no one can take away from her. The author did a great job of vividly writing every moment of Olivia's "flash back". This book depicts children's sense of creativity and their imagination! I love encouraging anyone, but especially children to use their show more imagination and this book does! show less

At school Olivia, the pig, describes how she saved the circus by doing every act. Olivia is a young girl pig who is full of spunk and imagination. She loves the color red and likes to be the center of attention. Falconer moves from a third person narration to first person when Olivia describes her day. Her assertions give the reader a direct insight into Olivia’s personality. Falconer successfully writes in the voice of a young child by saying such things as, “And that’s how I saved the circus. And now I am famous.” The setting is fairly vauge, but it is made clear by the illustrations. When Olivia goes to the Circus the illustration of the circus tents dominates the page. There isn’t much of a them to this story. The book show more focuses on the characterization of Olivia and how she is very much a child that likes to do things her own way. The illustrations are mainly black and white sketches that can be accented by red, black, or pink. Through these accents Falconer makes certain aspects jump out at the reader. Highly Recommended. show less

The Olivia series is fun. This adorable little large eared pig finds herself in situations she's often the creator of. She's sassy, confident, imaginative, and a bit mischievous. The illustration art style is monochromatic with pops of color....very similar to the Madeline book series. My children and I all love little Olivia!

Olivia can always bring a smile to a reader's face. She has the best way of telling a story. And they are usually “pretty true”. This time she is out to save the circus. She flies on the trapeze, tames lions, and even puts on a dog show. I love the illustrations. Olivia books are usually black, red, and white, but this one changes to a salmon pink when she is talking about the circus. I wonder if that is Ian’s way of saying the story is “pretty true” but not fully true?

this book is very unique in the coloring of the book, which is black and white aside from anything colored red. The strategic red coloring draws attention to certain items in the book, which is very cool. The main concept that I derived from the book was the different things that happen at the circus. This book could be used in the classroom to not only talk about a circus but different activities, such as juggling and riding a unicycle, that children may not have heard of before.