Olivia Measures Up

by Maggie Testa (Adapter), Jared Osterhold (Illustrations)

How can Olivia be a big sister if her little brother won’t stay little?

Olivia is upset when Father tells her that someday her little brother Ian will probably grow to be taller than she is. Olivia is determined to stop that from happening…after all, she is Ian’s BIG sister!

This Level 1 Ready-to-Read adaptation of a TV episode shows that size isn’t all that matters when it comes to growing up.

OLIVIA™ Ian Falconer Ink Unlimited, Inc. and © 2013 Ian Falconer and Classic Media, LLC

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Picture Books

24 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

The image of Olivia in her red jumper, striped top, red-and-white leggings, and then high heels? You'll find it on the inner flap of this hardcover, Goodreaders. It just might be the best moment of this entire storybook, so enjoy!

The big plot point here is how "Father tells Olivia that [her baby brother] will probably be bigger than her when they grow up."

How exactly does her Dad know that? As a pig, does he find employment as a soothsayer?

Regardless, Olivia frets. Fortunately for early readers, Olivia does manage to make her peace with the possibility that being the older child doesn't necessarily entitle her to be the taller child too.

For extra comfort, perhaps, this storybook ends with a resounding cliche. Disappointing to this more experienced reader, but maybe this triteness comes as a relief to tuckered out early readers!

[Paul Dilley · Rating 3 out of 5]

When my daughter brought this book home from the school library, I was skeptical - it looked like the standard B or C level children's literature that I try to avoid. This one, at least, had a named author, though I now learn through goodreads that it's a tv tie-in. Still, I was pleasantly surprised, in that the book directly addresses a current hot-button issue for us: that little brother will very likely grow to be taller than big sister, probably in the near future. Because I know this causes my daughter some consternation, I was surprised by her interpretation of the characters' motivation: Olivia's real concern is that she doesn't want to go on amusement park rides with her brother! Good news for self-image, bad for sibling dynamics...

[Little Champs]

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[Holly Letson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olivia is finally tall enough to ride the awesome rollercoaster, and she loves it. But, her brother is still to short, so he cannot ride it.
When Olivia's father tells her that her younger brother, Ian, will be taller than her when he grows up, Olivia sets out to do everything that she can to keep Ian from getting taller.
I thought this was hilarious.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

My little one rated this book 5-stars.

[Jenna Bowen]

Olivia books are very good for readers still learning to read. There are not a lot of words to each page and the words are large. This helps readers find the words and learn to read from books.