No Ordinary Olive
reSchool-Grade 2-From the moment she is born, Olive's parents know that she is special. Though other people find her crying loud and offensive, her parents can only rave about her pitch and volume. As she grows up, the girl continues to be a one of a kind, making oatmeal with pickles or using her wild imagination to send her stuffed bear to the stars. When she goes to school, however, her imagination gets her into trouble. Olive's head-in-the-clouds antics, punctuated by Tilley's comic watercolor-and-ink illustrations, are amusing, but the story hits a false note with the child's parents' unwavering appreciation of her behavior, no matter how disruptive. Though the message is admirable, any child will see how unrealistic it is when Olive paints a jungle on the principal's desk and ultimately receives nothing but praise (the principal is berated by the other educators for objecting). Ultimately, this paean to individuality falls flat, brought down by its own exaggeration.Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, ColumbiaCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.