Oliver by Judith Rossell

Oliver Reviews

• 
  Heidi-Marie

  Going through the new picture books, I pulled this to read because I immediately thought of my friend Jen's son, Oliver. I haven't seen him since he was a few weeks old, but I imagine he is in the fun toddler stage of into everything. And with the intelligent, knowledgeable older brothers he has, I can imagine him in a year or two start wondering, imagining, exploring, and more. Of course, it isn't just her Oliver. It's all the little kids--especially boys!--that I know, or know of. Each one has a curiosity of the world around them and their personaility really shows in the way they go about satisfying that. I think this book reflects that time of life so well.
  
  I would enjoy doing this more in a lap-read or suggesting as a read-alone since I'm not quite sure how I would read it in a storytime.
• 
  Kate Hastings

  Grades Pre-K to 2. This book reminded me a little bit of Where the Wild Things Are... with inventions. Oliver is very curious. He wants to learn how to fly, wonders if penguins could live in his refrigerator, how fish can breathe underwater-- and what the noise in the bathtub drain is. He's always making a mess with his experiments, and his mother is tired. She tells him to do something quiet while she rests. Draw. So he does... and takes an adventure to discover the answers to all of his questions. Cheerful drawings and relate-able story makes this a good choice for an invention/inquiry introduction.
• 
  Laura

  
  Oliver by Judith Rossell is adorable, warm, and chock full of imagination. The pure magic and joy of learning and exploring can be found in Oliver’s story. I loved every page!
  
  Oliver likes to ask questions---lots of questions. Why, how and what? And then he sets out to learn and discover anything and everything about the world around him. From broccoli to penguins to what’s down the drain!
  
  ”I’m going to find out what’s down the drain,” he said.
  
  Did you hear me, Mom? I’m going down the drain.” Haha...
  
  Inventions, art, drain gurgles and more! Come see what Oliver finds down the drain.
  
  Highly recommended adventure.
  
  
  
• 
  Trish

  Oliver is an imaginative, curious boy, and I was drawn to him from the very beginning of the book when he found out all he could about wings (made cardboard wings and strapped them to his arms) but already knew a lot about Band-Aids. His mother has some great lines, too. At one point she suggests he take a nap. His reply is, "I'm not tired." To which she says, "I am. Do something quiet." His quiet activity takes him on a great imaginative adventure....or was it just his imagination? Wonderful book - the text and art work together beautifully.
• 
  midnightfaerie

  What a wonderful story! So cute and a story any kid can relate to! Oliver is a curious kid with a vivid imagination that will have your kids falling in love with him! A book my 5 yr old as well as my twin 3 yr olds loved. A solid reading level 1 book, this cute story keeps all ages engaged with the bright colorful pictures and cute story. My 5 yr old liked it so much, he asked for more by this author. A great addition to any children's library.
• 
  Paul Hankins

  It begins with a Oliver's essential question (Jim Burke): "How do planes stay up in the sky?"
  
  When his mother answers, with a mouth full of clothespins, "Wings," the curiosity is piqued and a delightful book about curiosity, exploration, tests and trials. . .and penguins with jet packs begins.
  
  What I really like about OLIVER is the comic pacing of the book that would lend well to reading aloud with purposeful pausing before page turning. On one page, the text reads:
  
  "Oliver found out everything he could about wings."
  
  On the next page (cue the bell chime here)it reads:
  
  "He already knew about Band-Aids."
  
  Let's talk about Common Core State Standards for just a moment. This kind of simple set-up affords the ability to introduce inference (after you have finished the reading, please). Go back. Point to the text. Read the prior page. Turn the page. These are important skills for younger readers. The answer seems simple to experienced readers, but this kind of skill is needed again and again as readers grown and develop. Why did the author make this statement? What has transpired between asking the questions and where we find Oliver, aside a crumpled set of cardboard wings, checking his forearm?
  
  Another celebration of OLIVER comes of the mother, who we get in voice only. She is off-stage calling out responses to Oliver's questions. Her responses are those of a mother who embodies patience and long-suffering even when Oliver becomes a little frustrated with the limitations put upon him in the name of maternal wisdom (no, we should not be poking bananas down bathtub drains to see what's down there). There is comic timing here too, even when we don't see the mother on the page. When the mother suggests that Oliver "Get dry, get dry. How about a nap?" Oliver responds, "I'm not tired." And here is where we see the reality of life with the curious. . .
  
  "I am," said Mom. You do something quiet. Do some drawing."
  
  I love that this interaction reads like a quiet exasperation. Think the mother from the Bill Watterson strip, Calvin and Hobbes. Here, the mother is tired, but she offers an alternate activity that plays right into one of her son's personality traits. And the banana stays on that page the whole time through the drying and dressing phase.
  
  Oliver builds a cardboard submarine based upon his own design, complete with Rossell's delightful child-like renderings of Stick-Oliver and the types of fish he may see when he is underwater. Think about those early Simon cartoons from the Captain Kangaroo shows of the 70's and 80's and you will see why I think this book is so special for adult readers to share with younger readers.
  
  When Oliver tells his "off-stage" mother he is going down the drain and suggests that he might not come back, the fish from the drawing arc over the next page to lead the way, straight from Oliver's design with their drafting paper bodies and and colorful patterns.
  
  You'll have to read OLIVER to get the end. No spoilers here, people. You know that. But, I can tell you that there are penguins, jet packs, and a classic picture book ending reminiscent of WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE.
  
  Judith Rossell has created something special here in the writing and illustrations. There's a Hero's Journey tucked into this special book. And journeys almost always begin with a question followed by a quest.
  
  In the end. . .we call come back. Because people will miss us. And we should check in--now and then--before going on our next adventure. Building jet packs--well. . .that's why we have a thing called tomorrow.
  
  
• 
  Barbara

  Ever-curious, Oliver reminds me of a lot of children and adults I've known. You know the sort that I'm talking about, and I'm sure you've had an Oliver or two in the classroom or maybe even in your own household. Among other matters, he wonders about planes can possibly stay up in the sky and whether penguins could survive in a refrigerator. When he hears a gurgling noise in the bathroom drain, he builds a submarine and heads down the drain. Once he finds the source of the sound, he has so much fun that he almost doesn't come back home, eventually returning only because his mother might miss him. Not only did I adore the illustrations (created in pencil and watercolor for the scenes at home and in collage and colored crayon to represent his drawings and elements from his own life), but I smiled a lot at the interaction between mother and son as I imagined just how exhausting it would be to keep up with Oliver. The understatement in this book is also delicious. When his flying maching crumples to the ground, it's pretty clear that he's used up more than his share of Band-aids for scrapes from mishaps. This title is a perfect read aloud to share with others.
• 
  Aldon Rau

  Judith Rossell, although she is (I presume), not a child herself, perfectly understands what it is to be a child. My mother, like Oliver's, will not let me do anything; more specifically, she will not let me push a banana down the bathtub drain (no spoilers: if you want to know how that drama turns out, read the book). This book includes complete specifications for the construction of a submarine and a jet pack, and contains interesting zoological information about penguins which you will not learn in, say, your preschool curriculum.
• 
  Melissa

  Totally charmed. I love the clean but detailed illustrations, I love Oliver's graph-paper designs, and I love how the illustrations switch to mixed media when he's off on his adventure. The dry humor & logical-to-the-story plot developments made me smile. (What's that gurgling noise? It's the penguins, slurping their drinks.)
• 
  Melanie H.

  This is the story of Oliver, a young boy who likes to ask lots of questions and if he doesn't get the answer he figures it out himself. That's what leads him to build a submarine to go down the bathtub drain to figure out what makes the gurgling sound. You'll never guess who he meets!
  
  There are parts of this story that seem a bit disjointed, but I think children will enjoy it anyway.
• 
  Nat Hookway

  This book didn’t do a lot for me. But I’m sure many children will like it. 3 stars
• 
  Dolly

  This is a wonderful and completely charming tale about creativity and invention, about art and imagination. The narrative is short and the mixed media illustrations are terrific. I expect that this book will appeal to children of all ages (and parents, too).
  
  Our girls loved that many of the characters and Oliver's submarine show the grid lines of the graph paper, and help to emphasize his artwork. The 'broccoli islands' are hilarious and really add to the fantastical nature of the story. We really enjoyed reading this book together.
  
  As a parent, I loved the firm, but loving way that Oliver's mom responds to his inquisitive and adventurous nature. She's not depicted in any of the scenes, but she's always there to make sure he doesn't stick a banana down the bathtub drain and to answer his questions.
  
• 
  Jenny

  I'm sure some will disagree with my comparison but this book reminded me of Mayer's Where the Wild Things Are. Oliver is not being naughty like Max, but they both have a lot of energy and imagination. There was something about Oliver's going down the drain and then ending up in a land of broccoli trees where penguins fly with jet packs that felt a little reminiscent of Max's adventures with the wild things. It may not have quite the same depth of feeling; this is certainly a more bright, happy book.
  
  I appreciated Oliver's persistence and curiosity and his mother's patience with him. I love his "submarine" made out of a cardboard box.
• 
  Skye Kilaen

  Any children's book with jetpacks is likely to grab me, I'll admit. But it takes more than jetpacks to make me happy when my son asks "read it again?" I gladly obliged with this one because insatiably curious Oliver's adventure was charming and fun, with just the right amount of quirk. The art is cute, especially Oliver's little toes. And the penguins. I want to party with the penguins.
  
  (We re-read this again when Boy Detective was 9 and the story wasn't quite complex enough, but he did enjoy the jetpacks.)
• 
  Kendra

  A more complex version of Where the Wild Things Are. It's cute, but just too complicated. He's going through the day (do we really care the order he's doing things and when-does it matter to the story at all?) being told not to do things and finally does what he wants despite what his mother says and goes down the drain. On his trip, all the things his mom said "No" about are yesses. And then he goes home.
  Just think there's too much going on.
• 
  Mary

  Oliver likes to find things out. He asks a lot of questions, too. When he asks his mom what's down the drain, she tells him "nothing." Oliver is not convinced, so he builds a submarine and sets off down the pipes to find out for himself. This is an adorable story about imagination and curiousity with sweetly detailed pencil-and-watercolor illustrations.
• 
  Shelli

  Oliver is curious about things, all things. O.k. well most things, he is not curious about broccoli. His boundless curiosity often wearing his mother out before the day is even half way through. A fun read aloud that children and parents can equally relate to.
• 
  Alana

  Four words: penguins with jet packs.
• 
  Angela

  Cute illustrations but didn't feel new. I've been here before with many picture books directed at boys.
• 
  Tiffany

  This makes Ellie giggle... So that makes me giggle.
• 
  Julia

  I like the idea but it is too complicated and confusing. Good illustrations but hard to follow the story.
• 
  Carman

  My 3 daughters were delighted by this book! It was genuinely child like and filled with humor, curiosity and wonder. I'm definitely going to read it again!
• 
  Edward Sullivan

  Inquistive boy with big imagination has a wild adventure.
• 
  Rachel

  Delightful imaginative adventure, love how the drawings change to capture the child's experiences.
• 
  Sandy Brehl

  Charmingly clever illustrations enhance the seemingly simple story of Oliver who wonders about anything and everything, and is never satisfied until he attempts his own investigations.
• 
  Erin

  Great illustrations.
• 
  Dimity Powell

  Superb. Clear, clever clarity. Oliver is everyone's younger brother, kid next door, beguiling 6 year old, and he is perfect. I wanna go jet packing with him for ever.