Jasper & Ollie

Jasper & Ollie #1

by Alex Willan

Best friends Jasper and Ollie decide to go to the pool. On your mark, get set . . . WAIT! As Jasper races ahead--crashing into the mailman, speeding past the ice cream truck--Ollie takes his sweet time, pausing to admire a butterfly, smell a daisy, and help the mailman pick up his letters!

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Humor, Animals, Childrens, Summer, Graphic Novels

40 pages, Hardcover

Published May 28, 2019

Reviews

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story of two friends who decide to go to the pool. Jasper the fox gets there super fast, then irritates everyone by asking them if they've seen Ollie. Ollie, meanwhile, being a sloth, ambles his way to the pool.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the slow and thoughtful sloth, Ollie, but the hyperactive and inconsiderate fox dominated the story and got on my nerves quickly. The balance was just off, and the fox went way too far past simple mischief, otherwise this might have been pretty good.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jasper the fox wants to go to the pool. Ollie the sloth agrees. Jasper races Ollie there only to realize that he's nowhere to be found when he gets to the pool. Jasper displays many inappropriate behaviors as he tries to locate Ollie. In the end Jasper gets kicked out of the public pool just as Ollie shows up. Children will enjoy pointing out what Ollie is doing while Jasper is racing around.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a story about me and my mom going to the pool on a hot summer day, if she was a fox and I was a sloth. Anyone who has a friend that moves at a million miles per hour, or as slow as a sloth will relate to this humorous tale told mostly in pictures. I love the illustration style. Great for inferring.

[Erin]

Everyone else thought of Zootopia, too, right?

[DaNae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Divergent paths, solid friendship.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jasper and Ollie are best friends. At breakfast, Jasper wants to go to the pool and Ollie agrees. Jasper, the fox, wants to race to get there and runs out of the house. Along the way, he pull on his swimsuit, blows past the mailman who dumps his letters, jumps over a turtle painting a fence, and hustles past the ice cream truck. Now Jasper has to wait for Ollie though. And Ollie, the sloth, has a very different approach. He watches butterflies, smells the flowers, picks up the spilled mail, gets a drink, helps paint the fence, and gets an ice cream cone. Meanwhile Jasper is rushing around trying to see if Ollie is somewhere at the pool and manages to get himself thrown out. Luckily, that is just when Ollie arrives with ice cream cones for both of them.

Willan tells this story solely in speech bubbles. He uses framing techniques from comic books to great effect here. On the larger upper frame, he shows Jasper in his speedy desperation to find Ollie. Below, Ollie moves along quietly enjoying his walk to the pool. Jasper is often accompanied by a dashed line showing his movement over and under and around people and obstacles and usually accompanied by chaos in his wake.

The illustrations are brilliantly done with plenty of humor too. It has a wonderful aesthetic to it where the pattern of Ollie’s swimsuit is repeated on various things at the pool that Jasper searches. The illustrations are worth looking closely at to catch all of the funny moments and small touches along the way.

A combination of speed and sloth that makes for a great friendship and plenty of laughs. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friends Jasper (a fox) and Ollie (a sloth) decide to go to the pool. Jasper gets there miles ahead of Ollie and then wonders where Ollie could be. He goes to great lengths to find his friend. Meanwhile, Ollie is having a leisurely stroll to the pool, getting the mail, and helping neighbors on the way.

Talk about opposites. Jasper is one high octane, million mile an hour, bundle of energy. Readers should find his antics at the pool in his hunt for Ollie very funny. It is a huge contrast to when the scene goes back to Ollie and his leisurely stroll. But Jasper does seem to learn to slow down a bit by the end of the story. The illustrations are fantastically fun and definitely tell a huge chunk of the story. Hand this one to kids learning to compare and contrast, and those looking for a funny read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jasper the fox and Ollie the sloth are friends and complete opposites. Ollie likes to take his time, while Jasper is impatient and maybe a little hyperactive. When Jasper and Ollie decide to spend a day at the pool, their differences are on full display. Jasper wins the race to the pool, and assumes that Ollie is already there. Meanwhile, the reader sees Ollie taking his time, slowly making his way to the pool. Jasper's antics will have kids in stitches, and they will spend a lot of time looking over the detailed illustrations. This was a lot of fun to read, and is perfect for anyone in need of a summer themed laugh.

[Wyatt Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jasper is so crazy! He thinks so many things while Ollie is just walking down the steps of their house. Jasper like goes everywhere trying to find Ollie at the pool and he can't find him! Then he has a very naughty idea, he presses the evacuation alarm and the lifeguard throws him out. When Ollie finally gets back with ice cream, he asks, "Should we go in now?" and Jasper says very nervously, "Why don't we go to the beach instead?" and Ollie asks, "Do you want to race?" and Jasper says, "I think racing can wait" (because of what happened the first time they had been racing).

The Jasper & Ollie books are very funny!

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I have had a LOT of Jaspers in my classroom over the years. Excitement and energy that is so strong they simply can't control it. With Ollie as his best friend though, Jasper is able to occasionally take it down a notch. I think this book would be fun to compare and contrast with the Tortoise and the Hare, with older grades. Also, I really like the split-screen effect to see just how Jasper & Ollie both get to the same place in very different ways. That could be a great mentor text for young writers as well. Finally, this is just a great friendship book about appreciating the differences in our friends.

[Giorgia Cavalleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a sloth and a fox who are friends, and the fox wants to race his sloth friend to the pool. The fox is so happy that he won the race, but soon realizes that he didn't have very much fun without his friend there. By the end of the book, he realizes it's more important to be with his friend than to win a race. This book could come in handy if students are overly competitive and could invite conversation about what matters more; winning or friendship. I don't love this book for IRA, but I like the message it sends so I would include it in my classroom library.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was cute. I think children will love tracing Jasper the fox's tracks along the red dotted line and seeing all the mayhem he creates as he is moving around too quickly and not noticing the things around him. I think the message at the end is also a good one for children to learn-- especially in today's busy world. The message was essentially "SLOW DOWN. NOTICE THINGS AND PEOPLE." But it didn't come across as preachy, and it was a fun story.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun take on "The Tortoise and the Hare" concept. Jasper (the fox) wants to go to the community pool and wants to race Ollie (the sloth) to get there. When Jasper gets to the pool he starts looking for Ollie and trying to figure out where he could be, but of course Ollie isn't there yet. I loved the frantic energy of Jasper, the relaxed feel of Ollie, and the split pages showing what they were up to.

[Kinley Tincher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This energetic friendship story brings together two lovable opposites: fast, impulsive Jasper and slow, thoughtful Ollie. As they head to the pool, their wildly different paces create a series of funny contrasts that kids love. The clever layout shows both characters’ journeys side-by-side, adding a visual touch. It’s a great story for talking about patience, personality differences, and finding joy in the journey!

[Lisa Yee Swope · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What do you want to do today?" They agree to go to the pool and Jasper challenges his friend Ollie to race there. Except once Jasper wins the race, he can't find Ollie! He's forced to spend his time zipping around the pool vainly calling for his friend.

I should point out that Jasper is a fox and Ollie is a sloth. So the charming real story is friendship and understanding differences.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jasper and Ollie are friends. Jasper (fox? squirrel?) is extremely fast and he wants to race Ollie (sloth) to the pool. Of course Jasper wins and while he looks and looks for Ollie, Ollie is slowly walking to the pool, taking time to smell the flowers, help a friend paint the fence, buy an ice cream etc. So is it better to be the fastest or the one who takes time to smell the flowers?

[Brittany Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun story that is perfect for summer. Fox and Sloth are good friends but move at very different speeds. When Fox suggests they race to the pool, side-by-side illustrations show their respective routes and activities until they reunite at the end. The sunny illustrations and funny moments would make it a great read aloud book.

[Shannon P · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a lover of sloths from way back so when my kids found this and wanted me to read it with my "funny voices" (different accents and made up silly sound effects), I was all for it.

I should have looked through the book more and paid better attention to the story. Jasper appears to be as overactive as a person who is on medication. Ollie went

[Terisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reading a picture book, I am always looking for good read aloud's for the library. This is not a book I would read out to a class but I would use it to read out loud one on one. The illustrations are great and very interactive with lots going on that wouldn't be caught in a group read.
This book also highlights that friends can still be friends even if the are different.
Great book!!

[Villain E · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been pointed out to me that the sloth is my spirit animal. And I certainly identified with the sloth in this story.

Jasper the fox is full of energy. Ollie the Sloth is slow. Jasper wants to race to the swimming pool. Ollie takes his time. High energy Jasper gets himself in trouble and realizes that maybe he should slow down a little.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story of two friends a sloth and a fox and how they approach a new adventure (a day at the pool)--one focused and in a hurry to get there and have fun. And the other dawdling and taking time to enjoy the walk and smell the flowers. Finally, the characters come together and share the adventure together.

[carrietracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the second in this series first, and it'sbetter than this. This is FUNNY, kids will love it, and you definitely cringe for Jasper when he's emptying the pool out to hunt for Ollie, but part of the joy in the sequel is that realizing Jasper isn't going to pull off his grandiose plans. Fun though!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a hilarious duo. Jasper the fox does everything at a frenzied pace while Ollie is slowwww and steady. The illustrations do such a great job of contrasting the two as they make their way to the pool at their own rates in their own way. What makes this book even funnier is we can all probably think of the Jaspers and Ollies in our own lives.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jasper fox and Ollie sloth decide to go to the pool, so, excitedly, Jasper races Ollie there. What Jasper seems to forget is that Ollie is very, very slow so he can’t find him at the pool. Jasper searches and searches until he creates too much trouble at the pool and gets tossed out. That’s when Ollie arrives. Funny story with great illustrations that show just how slow Ollie moves. Funny ending.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

How on earth can these two be friends? I mean, it's super that they are, and they seem to make it work, and it's a cute book, but how?? In other words, how am I going to be able to learn to spend time with my new daughter-in-law, as she's so very different (extroverted, jabbery, prickly, not a reader) from me, without being worthless until the next day after a recovery period??

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, as a parent and as a preschool teacher!! The story is very engaging and the illustrations are amazing! My 4-year old daughter and my students love to read it over and over and we see something new each time we do!

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jasper the Fox and Ollie the Sloth are good friends. They decide to spend the day at the pool. Jasper wants to race to the pool, but Ollie takes his time getting there. Their individual travel and pace to the pool displays a lot about their character and make up.

[Elizabeth]

This book is hilarious. I think it's funnier because I have an inside joke with a former coworker about sloths, but the book is still great. The back page with the info about the author is even done creatively and to be funny!

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jasper the fox and Ollie the sloth are close friends. Jasper races ahead to the pool. Ollie takes his time.
Lots of humor for young readers as they watch the two make their way to the pool on this summer day.