Olivia
Olivia would beEloise, if Eloise were a pig.  She is good at singing 40 very loud songs and isverygood at wearing  people out. And scaring the living daylights out of her little brother, Ian,  particularly when he copies her every move. She is also quite skilled at  reproducing Jackson Pollock's "Autumn Rhythm #30" on the walls at home. When her  mother tucks her in at night and says, "You know, you really wear me out. But I  love you anyway," Olivia precociously pronounces, "I love you anyway too."The New Yorkerartist Ian Falconer's endearing charcoal portraits of his  porcine heroine are spotted with fire-engine red gouache in all the right  places--perhaps a tribute to Hilary Knight's red, pink, white, and black  celebrations of Olivia's human counterpart? When she dresses up, the bow on her  ears, her red lipstick, and her high-heeled shoes are all red. (The only time  her shades-of-gray body is pink is when she is sunburned and the area where her  bathing suit was is white!) Falconer does a fine job of letting the spare text  set up the jokes for the visual punch lines--a dryly humorous interplay that  adults will appreciate as much as children.Preschoolers (and their parents) will see themselves in Olivia--a typical  high-energy, over-the-top kid who likes the beach and Degas paintings, but hates  naps. On the other hand, she combs her ears and isunusuallygifted at  sandcastle building. While we are certainly reminded of Eloise, Falconer's  portrait is simpler in scope, less demented, and,  as a result, less adult. Bottom line: precocious is fun, and we're tickled pink  to have Olivia join the parade of, let's just say,individualisticyoungsters. (Ages 4 to 8)--Karin Snelson