Olivia (fictional Pig)
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Olivia is a fictional pig character in a series of children's picture books written and illustrated by the late
Ian Falconer Ian Woodward Falconer (August 25, 1959 – March 7, 2023) was an American author and illustrator of children's books as well as a designer of sets and costumes for the theater. He created 30 covers for ''The New Yorker'' and also for other publ ...
, the first entry of which was published in 2000. An animated television series, '' Olivia'', inspired by the character premiered in 2009.


Development

The ''Olivia'' book series was inspired by Ian Falconer's niece, Olivia. The series is different from many children's picture books because of its stark minimalism. Inspired by the style of Dr. Seuss, Falconer chose to draw uncluttered images in black and white with the occasional splash of red, along with the insertion of real artwork by famous artists —
Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French people, French Impressionism, Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, Print ...
and
Pollock Pollock or pollack (pronounced ) is the common name used for either of the two species of North Atlantic ocean, marine fish in the genus ''Pollachius''. ''Pollachius pollachius'' is referred to as "pollock" in North America, Ireland and the Unit ...
, for example. Each book in the series explores the use of another signature color in addition to the original black, white and red images. ''Olivia'' books have been translated into many languages including Czech, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Hebrew and Latin.


Books


Written by Falconer

* ''Olivia'' (2000) – a 2001
Caldecott Honor The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...
book, listed as one of the "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children" by the
National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college st ...
in 2007, listed in the "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by ''
School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...
'' * ''Olivia Saves the Circus'' (2001) – the 2002 Booksense Illustrated Children's Book of the Year * ''Olivia's Opposites'' (2002) – a board book * ''Olivia Counts'' (2002) – a board book * ''Olivia...and the Missing Toy'' (2003) * ''Teatro Olivia'' (2004) – a fold-out theater with paper dolls * ''Olivia Forms a Band'' (2006) – winner of 2006 Child Magazine's Best Children's Book Award * ''Olivia Helps with Christmas'' (2007) – Falconer won the 2008 Illustrator of the Year in the Children's Choice Book Awards for this title * ''Olivia Goes to Venice'' (2010) * ''Olivia and the Fairy Princesses'' (2012) * ''Olivia the Spy'' (2017)


Tie-ins to the Nickelodeon TV show (not written by Falconer)

* ''Olivia Acts Out'' (2009) – hardcover * ''Dinner with Olivia'' (2009) – paperback * ''Olivia Trains Her Cat'' (2009) – paperback (a Ready-To-Read book) * ''Olivia Leaps!'' (2009) – board book * ''This is Olivia'' (2009) – hardcover (a fold-out book) * ''Olivia the Magnificent: A Life-the-Flap Story'' (2009) – paperback * ''Meet Olivia'' (2009) – a coloring and activity book * ''Brava Olivia'' (2009) – a coloring and activity book with stickers * ''Olivia and Her Ducklings'' (2010) – paperback (a Ready-To-Read book) * ''Olivia and the Babies'' (2010) – paperback * ''Olivia Takes a Trip'' (2010) – paperback (a Ready-To-Read book) * ''Olivia Opens a Lemonade Stand'' (2010) – paperback * ''Olivia and the School Carnival'' (2010) – paperback * ''Olivia and the Snowy Day'' (2010) – hardcover (a Ready-To-Read book) * ''Olivia Cooks Up a Surprise'' (2011) – hardcover * ''Olivia Plants a Garden'' (2011) – hardcover (a Ready-To-Read book) * ''Olivia Leads a Parade'' (2011) – paperback * ''Olivia Goes Camping'' (2011) – hardcover (a Ready-To-Read book) * ''Olivia Becomes a Vet'' (2011) – hardcover (a Ready-To-Read book) * ''Olivia and the Rain Dance'' (2012) – hardcover (a Ready-To-Read book) * ''Olivia and the Kite Party'' (2012) – hardcover (a Ready-To-Read book)


Awards

* Caldecott Honor for ''Olivia'', 2000 * Parent's Choice 2000, Gold Award Winner * Nick Jr. Best Book of 2001 *
ALA Notable Children's Book American Library Association Notable lists are announced each year in January by various divisions within the American Library Association (ALA). There are six lists which are part of the larger ALA awards structure. * ''ALA Notable Books for Adu ...
s 2000 & 2001 * Child's Best Book of 2001 * Los Angeles Times Best Books of 2000 & 2001 * Publishers Weekly, Best Books of 2000 & 2001 * BookSense Illustrated Children's Book of the Year for ''Olivia Saves the Circus'', 2002 * Voted "Favorite Illustrator" for ''Olivia Helps with Christmas'' by over 50,000 children at the Children's Choice Book Awards, 2008


In other adaptations

* In 2006, Olivia was one of eight characters to be featured by the United States Postal Service on first-class stamps as part of the "Favorite Children's Book Animals" issue. * In 2008, Nickelodeon partnered with children's media company,
Chorion The chorion is the outermost fetal membrane around the embryo in mammals, birds and reptiles (amniotes). It is also present around the embryo of other animals, like insects and molluscs. Structure In humans and other therian mammals, the cho ...
, to bring the Olivia books to life in a new animated TV series. The new CGI series was produced by Academy Award nominated animation studio Brown Bag Films and launched on Nickelodeon on January 26, 2009. * In 2011, Polin8 Media partnered with Chorion to create an interactive iPad application "Olivia Acts Out" available on the iTunes Store.


See also

* ''Olivia'' (TV series) * List of ''Olivia'' episodes


References


External links


Olivia on Nick Jr.

Chorion

Brown Bag Films

Simon & Schuster - Ian Falconer Author Profile

Polin8 Media
{{Pigs Olivia (TV series) Anthropomorphic pigs Literary characters introduced in 2000 Pigs in literature Series of children's books