Passing on Pink: Olivia and the Fairy Princesses by Ian Falconer

"I THINK I'M HAVING AN IDENTITY CRISIS!" OLIVIA TOLD HER PARENTS.

"AT PIPPA'S BIRTHDAY PARTY, THEY WERE ALL DRESSED IN BIG PINK RUFFLY SKIRTS WITH SPARKLES AND LITTLE CROWNS AND SPARKLY WANDS--INCLUDING SOME OF THE BOYS!

WHY IS IT ALWAYS PINK PRINCESSS? WHY NOT INDIAN PRINCESSES? PRINCESSES FROM THAILAND? AFRICAN PRINCESSES?"

It had to happen. Sooner or later somebody HAD to opt out of the pink princessy fairy fad, and who better suited for that contrarian role that our favorite primary grade persnickety pig, Olivia! It's a hard row to hoe to swim upstream (to mix metaphors), but Olivia is determined to free herself of the prevailing fairy fashions:

I'M TRYING TO DEVELOP A MORE STARK, MODERN STYLE," OLIVIA SAYS.

No more pink-tutu-ed fairy prima ballerinas for Olivia. She dresses as a blue warthog, as a Soho sophisticate in a black, stretchy uni-dress, and takes Martha Grahame as her model.

"IF EVERYONE IS A PRINCESS, THEN PRINCESSES ARE NOT SPECIAL ANYMORE," SHE POINTS OUT.

But finding a suitable substitute image is not easy for Olivia. Her aspirations tend toward the grandiose, and seeing herself in even a heroically visualized vocation--nurse, orphan advocate, star reporter--doesn't quite do it for our precocious pig girl!

In Ian Falconer's latest (and most fashion-forward) picture book, Olivia and the Fairy Princesses (Atheneum, 2012) Olivia settles, pro tempore, for being a queen, not exactly shaking the whole royalty image, but at least avoiding the sparkly-wand-and-crown thing and the persistently ubiquitous pinkanista fetish while retaining her regal aspirations, albeit at a senior level. Her compromise may be a bit ironic, but totally consistent with Olivia's drama-queen personality. Still, some readers (and parents) will hail Olivia in her new role at the forefront of the anti-pink rebellion.

As Kirkus Review piquantly puts it, "... panache aplenty!"

Snow Job: Olivia Builds a Snowlady by Farrah McDoogle

"Something very special is happening this weekend," said Mrs. Hoggenmuller."What is it?"

Harold raised his hand. "My mother is taking me to get long underwear!"

"Not THAT! It's the Maywood Winter Festival!" said Olivia.

And the highlight of the Winter Festival is the Snowman Contest, and that means there is a chance for Olivia to take charge!

Right away she brainstorms an idea--not a boring old snowman, but this year a snowLADY! Olivia deputizes her classmates and they roll up three huge snowballs. But how can they lift the enormous second and third snowballs on top of the first? Olivia borrows an idea from the pyramid builders and comes up with the idea of a snow ramp to roll the frozen orbs up, and soon their creation takes shape. The team is proud of their work. Now all they have to do is wait for the beginning of the Festival the next day and get ready to take their bows for their work!

"Beautiful!" said Francine.

The next day dawns bright and sunny. A good thing, right? Well, not really. Sunshine and snowladies aren't exactly made for each other, and when Olivia's classmates arrive, they are disconsolate.

"She melted," said Olivia.

"What will we do?" moaned Harold.

Once more it's Olivia's fertile brain to the rescue. Suffice it to say that her idea involves huge balls of pink cotton candy from the concession stand and a very large pink snowlady stand-in, and the warmest Winter Festival yet is saved.

Farrah McDoogle, standing in for Ian Falconer, has another sunny winter tale in her paperback series of Olivia adventures in her latest, OLIVIA Builds a Snowlady (Simon Spotlight, 2011). This latest one shows that there's no time like snow time, even when the thermometer doesn't cooperate with our plans.

Santa's Helper: OLIVIA Claus by Ian Falconer and Kama Einhorn

IT WAS THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

"I WANT A ROBOT!" IAN TOLD OLIVIA.

"BUT YOU ALREADY HAVE A ROBOT," OLIVIA REMINDED HIM.

"BUT MY ROBOT WANTS A ROBOT," IAN EXPLAINED.

"I WANT... I WANT.... I WISH I KNEW!" THOUGHT OLIVIA. I HAVE SO MANY TOYS ALREADY. WHAT DO I NEED?"

But on that Christmas Eve, Olivia finds that what she really wants is a toy she already has--her beloved sock monkey Matilda.

Matilda is missing! She's not where she always is--on Olivia's bed, and as Olivia and Ian search throughout the day, it seems that Matilda is nowhere to be found. What kind of Christmas can Olivia have without her best stuffed friend? Ian attempts to console Olivia with the suggestion that Santa will bring her a new and better Matilda. Olivia is horrified. "Grandma gave me Matilda when I was little," she insists.

Her father is no help. He can't find one of his favorite snowflake socks either.

And Ian can't finish putting together his jigsaw puzzle without a crucial missing piece.

"I THINK THERE MUST BE SOMEWHERE IN SPACE WHERE ALL THE MISSING THINGS GO." FATHER MUSES.

"IF I WERE SANTA CLAUS, I'D TRY TO RETURN ALL THE LOST THINGS TO THE PEOPLE WHO LOST THEM," OLIVIA SAID.

Olivia drifts into a fantasy of herself as OLIVIA Claus, returning important lost things to the kids of the world, and when she comes back to the real world, she does what she can: with cardboard and scissors and crayons, she makes a replacement piece for Ian's unfinished puzzle.

"I WISH I COULD MAKE YOU A NEW MATILDA," SAYS IAN.

But Olivia's pet cat and dog, Perry and Edwin, step in to save the day, uncovering all the lost objects behind the sofa, where, thanks to Tina McNaughton's sly illustrations, we know they stashed them in the first place.

"NOW THIS IS WHAT I CALL CHRISTMAS!" OLIVIA SAYS.

Kama Einhorn stands in well for creator Ian Falconer in Olivia's latest holiday outing, OLIVIA Claus (Simon & Schuster, 2010), all decked out with sparkles and festive red flocking for plenty of fa-la-la-la-la for the Olivia fan. Pair this one with Falconer's Olivia's Christmas or Olivia Helps with Christmas (Olivia Series) for a piggy pair of holiday fare.