Olivia Forms a Band

I raised a daughter and son, and loved the Olivia books for the strong female character, which I thought was important for both of them to see in their books due to the many unhealthy messages in our culture. Olivia books were probably my kids' favorite series of books. And I loved that the stories seemed to come from the real life of a real family - the things Olivia does in the books used to make me laugh & reminded me of funny things my kids did. (It was a big plus when I didn't hate a book because I had to read them sooooo many times. LOL.) When my kids outgrew them, I gave all of our Olivia books to my cousin for his younger kids. Now I buy Olivia books for some friends with 2 little girls that also love to "read" & be read to, and they love them too. My kids are now 18 & 21, but to this day, one of them or I will still quote an Oliva book once in a while.😍 The little girls for whom I bought "Olivia Forms a Band" love this one, and it was one of my kids' favorites also.

I love the Olivia books for myself, even though I am 28. They are great comfort reading and the humor hits me just the right way!This was the best so far, I think. I loved the introduction of photos into the book, in particular the use the photos when Olivia's mother asks her what kind of band she wants to form. The rock band rocking out that Olivia's mother has in mind just cracks me up, and the straight-laced marching band of Olivia's dreams balances it perfectly.Little William is growing up and is shown actually having some personality now. I love the page where Olivia tells her family that they should all start a band, and you see them going from interested to, variously, slinking off, looking engaged in the newspaper and dishes, and very carefully looking at anything BUT Olivia.The suspenders scene with her Dad is hilarious too, where she takes off his suspenders to use for her band, and his pants fall down, exposing his voluminous boxer shorts with red polka dots, identical to Olivia's PJ's with red polka dots. "Look, Daddy, we are twins!" and her enthused expression just cracks me up.The scene with her looking in the mirror and grinning is both slightly creepy and really funny. I never envisioned Olivia with Hollywood, human teeth, so that was a little odd, but it certainly has the impact that Falconer desires - of putting us in the fantasy world of a child with lipstick on. Olivia thinks she looks quite the movie star!All in all, this book meanders in enough directions to make some wonderful jokes, but keeps to the main theme well too. The illustrations have a ton of funny moments and I loved the jokes and the way pictures were included.I know a lot of parents dislike the final joke of the book, where Olivia is dreaming and imagines herself in the Supreme Court, because it isn't a joke aimed at children. As an adult who enjoys the books, that ending cracks me up every time, and I think kids might be fascinated by that bit because it probably makes their parents laugh. I remember as a child having a few books that went over my head for the jokes occasionally, and those books often became ones which meant the most to me in later life, because when I reread them as a teen, I finally got what my parents were snickering about, and I could enjoy them on many levels.Anyway, five stars for his one. I've read and reread it many times and the appeal hasn't faded for me yet. Olivia is just too funny!

We loved everything about this book for our granddaughter....and she loves it too. The story and the artwork are engaging and captivating. What's not to love!

Hands down the best illustrations in any childrens book. We love Ian Falconer's Olivia books. This actual book "Olivia Forms a Band" was purchased when my daughter was 3 years old. She just turned 9 and its still one that makes the cut of books in rotation for her to read before bed.Olivia is hilarious and her imagination is played out in these books. This one is her idea of forming a band on 4th of July. I love how most pages are simple illistrations using only minimal color. The black and white images are adorable and really pop with the touches of red.Great book for children of all ages.

Love all Olivia books!!

Super cute book. You can’t go wrong with an Olivia book!

I love to read the Olivia books to my daughter at bed time. The characters have a great design to them, and each page uses bright colors sparingly to draw young readers to where Olivia is on the page, and what she is doing. The dialog is always funny, as well as the interaction between Olivia and her parents. I would recommend this to any parent with a young child.

I love these books for my granddaughters, we have so much fun reading them and laughing.

Love the Olivia series, as do my kids.

My younger brother (an elementary school teacher), introduced these books to me a number of years ago. My kids have absolutely loved Olivia (the main character) and her many adventures!

Very nicely written.

My 2 year old daughter loves this book. We got it out of the library originally and she's demanded it ever since it's been returned (she doesn't seem to have grasped the whole library concept!) so we've ended up buying a copy for her.Olivia forming a band isn't a major part of the story so don't let it put you off - there are also fireworks and all the usual Olivia mischief.

This is a lovely book - beautifully illustrated and amusing for us adults reading it to our kids. My daughter likes the books a lot, but this one is slightly on the too-long side and she lost a bit of interest.