Olivia Saves the Circus

by Ian Falconer

Book Overview

Step into the ring with Olivia, where the lights are dim, the color soft, and a little girl's imagination is the main attraction.

Olivia remembers her trip to the circus very well. The performers were out sick, so she had to do everything. She...

-rode on a unicycle
-jumped on a trampoline
-juggled five balls!
-tamed lions
-and flew through the air.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 068982954X
• ISBN13: 9780689829543
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Length: 44 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.8" x 11.4"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Adorable and entertaining for grown-ups too.

These books are well enjoyed by my 3yr old daughter my 5yr old son and my husband and I reading the stories to m kids.

Olivia saves bedtime...

I am here to buy this book and it's predecessor. We picked up Olivia Saves the Circus at the library, and now I have to buy one because we can't renew it anymore! My son is only 16 months old, but he gets very excited when he sees this book come out at bedtime. One night I gathered up a few books to read before bed, and Olivia wasn't in the stack. He looked over the books, then scooted into the living room and returned with Olivia Saves the Circus, asking (in his own way) that it be read. Now he insists that it is part of his bedtime ritual. If I don't have it in the stack of bedtime books, he finds it and brings it along. And when we get to the trampoline part, he always throws up his hands and says, "Wow!" And both his father and I love it, too. The illustrations are wonderful, and the whole character of Olivia - her bold self-confidence, her independent spirit and imagination - is very charming. My favorite part is the end - "Maybe..." I love a pig who's sure of herself...

Roll Out the Red Carpet

Roll out the red carpet, and welcome back Olivia. It's only fitting. Red is, after all, her favorite color. With OLIVIA and now OLIVIA SAVES THE CIRCUS, Olivia joins Wilburof CHARLOTTE'S WEB and Napoleon of ANIMAL FARM in the pantheon of great pigs in literature. Olivia would no doubt agree. Similar in structure to the first book, this is a day in the life of Olivia, and Walter Mitty's got nothing on this little piggy. It is Olivia's turn to tell the class about hervacation. She goes to the circus, but all the performers are out with ear infections. Luckily Olivia knows how to do everything, and in her outsized imagination that's precisely what she does. Ian Falconer's wry, understated text and whimsical, expressive artwork are a perfect match, each fleshing out Olivia in its own way, complementing each other without ever becoming redundant. Olivia is artsy. She's crafty. She's a bundle of joy. She's a handful. She rocks. She rolls. She rules. She's not afraid to dream big dreams. She's her own pig, and that's why we love her.

Olivia...You've Gotta Love Her.....

It's Olivia's turn to tell the class about her vacation, and she can't wait. "Olivia always blossoms in front of an audience." And so our feisty little pig begins the story about her day at the circus. Of course, all the performers were out sick with ear infections, but "luckily I knew how to do everything." She tames lions and walks tightropes, performs on stilts, juggles, and even rides a unicycle. Then she clowns, swings high on the trapeze, and is Queen of the Trampoline. Finally, she ends her show as Madame Olivia and her trained dogs. "And that's how I saved the circus. And now I am famous." Olivia is very proud. Her teacher is exasperated. "True?", she asks again and again. "Yes, to the best of my recollection", answers Olivia..... Ian Falconer has bettered last year's, Olivia, debut, and fans won't be able to get enough of this adorable and precocious little pig with her queen-size imagination. His witty, yet simple text is kept to a minimum and really captures the preschool mind. But it's his charming and clever charcoal artwork, with just a creative splash of color here and there to highlight his scenes, that really makes this book stand out. Both children and adults will laugh out loud at the antics of this delightful little heroine. Perfect for youngsters 3-7, Olivia Saves the Circus is a must for home libraries and a picture book kids will beg to read again and again. Olivia is back and better than ever!

Even Better Then the First Olivia Book if That's Possible

I just finished reading this book and I laughed the entire way through. It's clever, charming and very very funny. This is one of those books when your child ask you to read over and over you won't mind. I'm buying this book for my almost four year old for Hanukkah, but I'm not sure if I can wait till December to read it to him!

Queen of the Trampoline for certain!

Falconer's second Olivia book is as charming and fun as the first. The illustrations perfectly capture Olivia's imagination and determination in her story of a daring circus performance. The four page spread of her jumping on the trampoline is terrific. I have never seen a more satisfied pig!One of my favorite lines reads, "Olivia always blossoms in front of an audience." She, of course, knows how to do everything.Highly recommended.