What do you think?
Rate this book
Olivia #4
Olivia Forms a Band
Everyone's favorite Caldecott Honor-winning porcine diva is back and with fanfare! There are going to be fireworks tonight, and Olivia can hardly wait to hear the band. But when she finds out that there isn't going to be a band, she can't understand why not. How can there be fireworks without a band?! And so Olivia sets to putting a band together herself... all by herself. Using pots, pans, her brother's toys, and even her father's suspenders, Olivia forms a band spectacular enough to startle any audience. Lavishly brought to life in Ian Falconer's signature style, and introducing an eye-catching shade of blue, here is Olivia doing what Olivia does best -- making noise.
42 pages, Hardcover
First published June 6, 2006
About the author
Ian Falconer
85 books299 followersIan Falconer is the author and illustrator of all the titles in the bestselling Olivia series: Olivia, Olivia Saves the Circus,Olivia...and the Missing Toy, and Olivia Forms a Band. His illustrations have also graced many covers of the New Yorker. In addition, he has designed sets and costumes for the New York City Ballet, the San Francisco Opera, and the Royal Opera House (Covent Garden), among others. Mr. Falconer lives in New York City. (Simon & Schuster)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
March 12, 2019
I like the art style of this book. Drawings and photos are combined, which results in some hilarious scenes. My favorite is a scene where Olivia dreams that she is a member of the Supreme Court.
March 29, 2022
That imaginative and willful little pig Olivia returns in this fourth picture-book chronicling her adventures, this time determined to create her own marching band, when her mother informs her that the fireworks they will be seeing that evening won't have musical accompaniment. When her family members don't prove as enthusiastic as she is at the idea of participating, our porcine heroine decides she will have to do it by herself. After all, as Olivia reminds her mother, she alone can sound like five people, so why not form a band...?
Like its predecessors, Olivia Forms a Band is a superb picture-book, one that pairs a pitch-perfect narrative about a feisty and creative young girl with lots of energy and not a lot of restraint, with absolutely hilarious illustrations that are as beautiful as they are entertaining. Ian Falconer is at the top of his form here, adeptly capturing the droll expressions on the faces of Olivia and her family in his charcoal and gouache artwork. A number of photographs - a rock band, a marching band, the Supreme Court! - are worked into the artwork, in the thought bubbles. Highly recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed other stories about Olivia, as well as to anyone looking for stories about feisty young girls and their imaginary inner worlds.
Like its predecessors, Olivia Forms a Band is a superb picture-book, one that pairs a pitch-perfect narrative about a feisty and creative young girl with lots of energy and not a lot of restraint, with absolutely hilarious illustrations that are as beautiful as they are entertaining. Ian Falconer is at the top of his form here, adeptly capturing the droll expressions on the faces of Olivia and her family in his charcoal and gouache artwork. A number of photographs - a rock band, a marching band, the Supreme Court! - are worked into the artwork, in the thought bubbles. Highly recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed other stories about Olivia, as well as to anyone looking for stories about feisty young girls and their imaginary inner worlds.
June 30, 2018
"But, sweetheart, one person can't be a whole band," said Olivia's mother.
"Why not?"
"Because the word 'band' means more than one person, and a band sounds like more than one person."
"This morning you told me I sounded like five people."
You can't argue with Olivia-logic.
Another adorable pig-filled adventure as Olivia plays many instruments, tries on lipstick, watches fireworks, and dreams big dreams.
"Why not?"
"Because the word 'band' means more than one person, and a band sounds like more than one person."
"This morning you told me I sounded like five people."
You can't argue with Olivia-logic.
Another adorable pig-filled adventure as Olivia plays many instruments, tries on lipstick, watches fireworks, and dreams big dreams.
April 1, 2019
It was funny, cute, and GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 11, 2025
Olivia is amazing. Review here!
March 10, 2016
Lo que más me ha sorprendido de este libro es lo gracioso que es. Realmente gracioso, el regalo perfecto para un niño... o algún fanático de los cerditos.
March 5, 2017
When Olivia learns there will not be music at the fireworks display, she forms her own one-pig band. The visual humor, especially the illustrations of her gathering the instruments, is as strong as ever. Falconer also adds the color blue to the usual charcoals and reds. Olivia fans will not be disappointed.
June 13, 2017
Very cute. Audiobook narrated by Dame Edna herself. Enjoy!
April 19, 2019
This was fun. I got confused by the last page.
October 27, 2022
2.5 rounded up. Better than the first two books I read. I still don't recommend the series, but I checked a number out from the library to see what the draw was and there is some humor, but it's more for adults. I think it would just encourage a child to misbehave for attention.
October 30, 2015
Children's series
Loved the artwork on the inside front cover, one drawing from each previous book summarizing Olivia's adventures to date.
Olivia's family is going on a picnic followed by a fireworks display. She is puzzled that there will be no band. Our intrepid little piglet gathers everyday household objects to form her own band.
Olivia is like a breath of cool refreshing air on a hot day. Each book makes me laugh, and lightens my heart.
Bravo to the illustrator - I looked in two books, and found only the name of the author. I guess Ian Falconer writes the delightful stories and does the artwork as well.
Loved the artwork on the inside front cover, one drawing from each previous book summarizing Olivia's adventures to date.
Olivia's family is going on a picnic followed by a fireworks display. She is puzzled that there will be no band. Our intrepid little piglet gathers everyday household objects to form her own band.
Olivia is like a breath of cool refreshing air on a hot day. Each book makes me laugh, and lightens my heart.
Bravo to the illustrator - I looked in two books, and found only the name of the author. I guess Ian Falconer writes the delightful stories and does the artwork as well.
July 8, 2014
I love the Olivia books! I love how independent and humorous Olivia is! I read this book to my class and they really enjoyed it! We discussed how you don't always need instruments to make music but how you can use objects around your household like Olivia did in the story. This book helps children realize how creative they can be and helps us as teachers promote their creativity!
February 12, 2018
Just plain cute.
Olivia definitely has a mind of her own, and that seems to be what my daughter loves about her. When she sets her mind to accomplishing something, she goes whole hog. *cough* And in this case, she's set her mind to a musical endeavor that may be a bit over her head...
Personally, I feel a sort of connection with her long-suffering mother. >.>
Olivia definitely has a mind of her own, and that seems to be what my daughter loves about her. When she sets her mind to accomplishing something, she goes whole hog. *cough* And in this case, she's set her mind to a musical endeavor that may be a bit over her head...
Personally, I feel a sort of connection with her long-suffering mother. >.>
September 1, 2013
An imagination is a valuable tool!! I think this book does a great job of showing the hours of enjoyment an imagination can provide and the self-esteem that comes from using ones imagination to create something fabulous!!
July 27, 2015
27 Novewmber,2006
Olivia is always fabulous! But at this point, she's starting to appeal to me more than to the kids. Sigh.
3 July, 2015
The kids come back around, FYI
Olivia is always fabulous! But at this point, she's starting to appeal to me more than to the kids. Sigh.
3 July, 2015
The kids come back around, FYI
August 29, 2016
This allows children to make connection from animated characters to their real life experiences. Olivia that one man band and her family ended the day by nearly braking her mothers Neck.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2016
audiobook! i want to in the band with olivia she seems nice hhh
November 4, 2017
Am I the only one who thinks this series often fails to live up to the hype? Although I thought the original book was promisingly charming, I’ve been disappointed by each of the others I’ve read - this one in particular. The illustrations are always cute and expressive, but I find the storytelling a little lackluster and disjointed. The thing I really can’t get behind, though, is that the books constantly show Olivia behaving badly or causing mayhem without any consequences or redeeming conclusion. I get it: she’s supposed to be exhausting, in a charmingly realistic and whimsical sort of way. Great! But there are all these moments that could easily lead to great lessons that just...don’t. For example, at the end of this book, her mom keeps asking her to clean up her band equipment, then almost breaks her neck stumbling over it in the dark when Olivia doesn’t do it. She is already asleep - The End. What? So the takeaway is that it’s ok to not listen to your parents even though you could cause someone actual physical harm by refusing to do so? Come on, Falconer, help a parent out!
Olivia also spends the first half of the book pluckily putting together an awesome one-woman band to play at the fireworks show - so cool! - only to completely drop the whole idea as soon as they leave for the event. What? I guess this is realistic - kids switch gears all the time - but it just felt like a missed opportunity to see Olivia precociously go for it and give the story a real climax at the same time. Instead, it just ends up feeling like an endorsement of not following through and makes the story kind of meandering and pointless.
Basically, the story sets up tons of great scenarios for inspiring or teachable moments, but it never follows through. So disappointing!
Olivia also spends the first half of the book pluckily putting together an awesome one-woman band to play at the fireworks show - so cool! - only to completely drop the whole idea as soon as they leave for the event. What? I guess this is realistic - kids switch gears all the time - but it just felt like a missed opportunity to see Olivia precociously go for it and give the story a real climax at the same time. Instead, it just ends up feeling like an endorsement of not following through and makes the story kind of meandering and pointless.
Basically, the story sets up tons of great scenarios for inspiring or teachable moments, but it never follows through. So disappointing!
February 14, 2018
This installment in the “Olivia” series is one that is sure to bring about a room full of laughter for younger readers. The main character Olivia, is determined to create a makeshift band to compliment the fireworks at the Fourth of July celebration. When her parents and siblings express much disinterest in joining, Olivia is left with no other choice than to create a one-man-band starring only herself. Readers are taken on a journey in which they get to see Olivia’s process of creating her band’s instruments through the use of household items and her showtime makeup application. The variety of onomatopoeias such as clang, ding, and BOOM that are presented on the pages in differing font sizes add a fun element for both adult and children readers alike. Also, accompanying the delightful story are the entertaining illustrations that instill moments of visual humor. One of my favorite illustrations, for example, is where Olivia is getting ready to leave for the celebration and readers get to see a closeup of her showing off her bright red lipstick in the mirror. While most of the illustrations are done in black and white with a few accents of red and aqua present, there are a couple eye-popping pages in full color that represent how beautiful both the sunset and the fireworks are after the sun settles and the moment that Olivia had been waiting for finally comes. All in all, this is a charming story that I would recommend for younger readers up to age 8.
September 21, 2017
Summary: The night has finally arrived where Olivia was going to get to see the fireworks. She could not wait to hear the band. But when she finds out that there isn't going to be a band, she can't understand why not. Olivia decides that she is going to put together a band. Using pots, pans, her brother's toys, and even her father's suspenders, Olivia forms a band spectacular enough to startle any audience.
Evaluation: This book would be a great cue to use to teach students that they can do anything they want to if they put their mind to it. Olivia is looking forward to the band, and when she finds out that the band won't be playing she decides to make her own. I could teach students about how they can take initiative.
Teaching Point: I would use this book for younger grades. I would read the book aloud to my students and then teach them the importance of making inferences and pulling out the main idea of the story. I would talk about how excited Olivia was to hear the band, and I would try to help my students make a personal connection about times when they were excited. I would then talk about how Olivia's dreams were crushed and how she took initiative to make sure what she wanted to happen happened.
Evaluation: This book would be a great cue to use to teach students that they can do anything they want to if they put their mind to it. Olivia is looking forward to the band, and when she finds out that the band won't be playing she decides to make her own. I could teach students about how they can take initiative.
Teaching Point: I would use this book for younger grades. I would read the book aloud to my students and then teach them the importance of making inferences and pulling out the main idea of the story. I would talk about how excited Olivia was to hear the band, and I would try to help my students make a personal connection about times when they were excited. I would then talk about how Olivia's dreams were crushed and how she took initiative to make sure what she wanted to happen happened.
March 2, 2018
For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle
To my knowledge, this is the first Olivia book I have read. I have heard of them and worked with a kid who enjoyed the show, so when I saw this in the Little Free Lending Library, I figured I'd give it a try.
I didn't really know what to expect, but it definitely wasn't this. While parts of the book were humorous, the story itself felt very disjointed. It starts out with Olivia making a band, but then she abandons the idea halfway through. While this is pretty typical of children (and many adults, for that matter), it made for kind of a weird book. The title seemed misleading. It's more like Olivia Form a Band and Then Does a Bunch of Other Random Stuff.
Also, I can't lie, I was kind of creeped out by the mash-up illustrations. The insertion of photographs looked weird (and those freaking teeth in the lipstick scene are going to give me nightmares, thanks, Falconer!).
I will say, I did appreciate how extensive the "noises" were in the text (PING, THUD, KINNK, POINNNGG). That took some creativity.
Overall, this book didn't really live up to the hype for me. It was an okay read.
To my knowledge, this is the first Olivia book I have read. I have heard of them and worked with a kid who enjoyed the show, so when I saw this in the Little Free Lending Library, I figured I'd give it a try.
I didn't really know what to expect, but it definitely wasn't this. While parts of the book were humorous, the story itself felt very disjointed. It starts out with Olivia making a band, but then she abandons the idea halfway through. While this is pretty typical of children (and many adults, for that matter), it made for kind of a weird book. The title seemed misleading. It's more like Olivia Form a Band and Then Does a Bunch of Other Random Stuff.
Also, I can't lie, I was kind of creeped out by the mash-up illustrations. The insertion of photographs looked weird (and those freaking teeth in the lipstick scene are going to give me nightmares, thanks, Falconer!).
I will say, I did appreciate how extensive the "noises" were in the text (PING, THUD, KINNK, POINNNGG). That took some creativity.
Overall, this book didn't really live up to the hype for me. It was an okay read.
November 20, 2023
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Grade: K-2
I like how this book is very entertaining especially for young readers. I think young readers will love how Olivia is a pig, and want to know what goes on in her day. This book would be a good silent read for beginner readers, because I don't believe that its is a great read aloud book. I would suggest this book to a reader that doesn't want too many words, and needs an interesting story line in order to stay engaged. I love the illustrations in this book, and how the words move htroughout the page. I do think that for kindergarten, it may be confusing for some students who are justv learning to read from left to right and top to bottom, to try and read a book in which the words move across the page in different directions, and start in the middle of the page. But I do think students would enjoy reading this book.
Grade: K-2
I like how this book is very entertaining especially for young readers. I think young readers will love how Olivia is a pig, and want to know what goes on in her day. This book would be a good silent read for beginner readers, because I don't believe that its is a great read aloud book. I would suggest this book to a reader that doesn't want too many words, and needs an interesting story line in order to stay engaged. I love the illustrations in this book, and how the words move htroughout the page. I do think that for kindergarten, it may be confusing for some students who are justv learning to read from left to right and top to bottom, to try and read a book in which the words move across the page in different directions, and start in the middle of the page. But I do think students would enjoy reading this book.
March 14, 2025
Are you on the lookout for an entertaining children’s book that blends humor, creativity, and striking visuals? Olivia Forms a Band by Ian Falconer is just it! The illustrations, primarily in black, white, and muted tones, create a unique feel, making the pops of color used throughout the book appearcaptivating. These bursts of color are not just eye-catching but purposeful, drawing attention to key moments and ideas. The story follows the high spirited character, Olivia as she is on a mission to form a band for a fireworks show, and her determination and imagination are seen on every page! This book , with its engaging narrative and unique artwork, will captivate young readers and leave them smiling long after the last page.
March 10, 2018
Summary:
Olivia is upset because her mom told her that there will not be a band at the fireworks show this year, so she decides that she will form her own band. She collects all the different things that she needs to make the band. Then when it is time to leave she decides she doesn’t want to bring all the things with so there will be no band after all. After the show, when they come back home her mom tells her to put the band stuff away, but she doesn’t listen and her mom almost tripped on it!
Possible Topics:
1. If you want something really bad, make it happen on your own.
2. Knowing what is needed for a band.
3. Listen to your parents!
Olivia is upset because her mom told her that there will not be a band at the fireworks show this year, so she decides that she will form her own band. She collects all the different things that she needs to make the band. Then when it is time to leave she decides she doesn’t want to bring all the things with so there will be no band after all. After the show, when they come back home her mom tells her to put the band stuff away, but she doesn’t listen and her mom almost tripped on it!
Possible Topics:
1. If you want something really bad, make it happen on your own.
2. Knowing what is needed for a band.
3. Listen to your parents!
June 7, 2018
Well, Olivia seems like a creative little one with big ideas and the challenge to follow through with those ideas. Her pig family consists of her mother and father and little brothers Ian and William (the baby). Olivia dreams big and is a handful for her parents.
This story covers preparation for the evening of the 4th of July. The family has a picnic and watches the fireworks. Everyone is tired and the children fall asleep. Olivia's mother trips over her discarded band instruments. Olivia doesn't put things away despite her mother asking her to do so twice. This is just a little snapshot into the life of a family.
This story covers preparation for the evening of the 4th of July. The family has a picnic and watches the fireworks. Everyone is tired and the children fall asleep. Olivia's mother trips over her discarded band instruments. Olivia doesn't put things away despite her mother asking her to do so twice. This is just a little snapshot into the life of a family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2023
Will you love this piggy icon of obnoxiousness?
Maybe you'll find her funny, delightful. On the other hand, this is how she talks with her mother, making plans for the fireworks that night. Olivia has talked with enthusiasm about the band at the fireworks. (My bolding in what follows.):
"Oh, I don't think there will be a band," said her mother.
"But you can't have fireworks
without a band," explained Olivia.
Call her insufferable or call her cute-and-funny: The choice is yours, Goodreader.
In honor of Olivia fans -- though I won't be among you -- because Olivia fans are clearly the intended audience, I'll rate this book at FIVE STARS.
Maybe you'll find her funny, delightful. On the other hand, this is how she talks with her mother, making plans for the fireworks that night. Olivia has talked with enthusiasm about the band at the fireworks. (My bolding in what follows.):
"Oh, I don't think there will be a band," said her mother.
"But you can't have fireworks
without a band," explained Olivia.
Call her insufferable or call her cute-and-funny: The choice is yours, Goodreader.
In honor of Olivia fans -- though I won't be among you -- because Olivia fans are clearly the intended audience, I'll rate this book at FIVE STARS.
October 11, 2021
I LOVE this book! I loved Olivia when I was young and still do today. In this book, Olivia wants to form her own band as her and he family prepare to go watch a fireworks show. My favorite part of this book are the illustrations. There is a mix of black and white with a pop of color, also some illustrations are drawn cartoons, and some are real images. This book is really funny and had me laughing. I feel children would love this book just as much.
June 9, 2018
For the picnic and fireworks, Olivia thinks there should be a band, but no band will be there. So Olivia decides she will form a band. No one in the family is willing to join the band with her. What, oh what, is a young pig to do? But this is Olivia and Olivia is synonymous with Out-of-the-box creativity. A delightful solution.
December 13, 2018
I preferred this one to the original “Olivia” — I thought it had more story while keeping all the sass and charm. My niece and I laughed forever over 3 pictures where Olivia applies red lipstick. Plus, I greatly appreciate the end where she dreams about being on the Supreme Court. I’m all about showing a child, female character aspire confidently to the highest court in the land.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2019
Olivia is excited to go with her family to see fireworks but when she finds out that there wont be a band, she takes matters into her own hands and creates her own one-pig-band. A lot of fun to read with Olivia fans and newcomers alike. Great addition to a parade or July 4th storytime. Recommended for preK-2nd grade.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews