OLIVIA'S JOKES
by Eve Heidi Bine-Stock
Illustrated by Antara Majumder
Picture Book
ages 5 to 8
40 pages
Olivia was on a mission to spread joy in her small town. Every day, she would set up a sign on the corner of her yard with a new joke. Passersby couldn't help but stop, read the sign, and burst into laughter. But one morning, Olivia's heart sank as she saw her sign had been smashed in two. Who could have done such a cruel thing? What will Olivia do now? Find out in this heartwarming tale of resilience and community. Buy now before the price goes up!
MY TIDBITS
While quirky, cute jokes bring smiles, an important message about bringing joy comes across, too.
Olivia has an idea. She sets up a sign board in her yard and writes a new joke on it every day. Individuals stop by every day, read her latest joke, and laugh...and it's creating a lovely atmosphere. One day, however, the sign is smashed into pieces. Not only doesn't Olivia know who was mean enough to do it, but she's not sure if she should put up a new one or not.
This is a simple, straight-forward tale with smiles and heart. Olivia is an adorable sheep, and her joke sign is easy to get behind and root for. Not only are listeners/readers sure to snort a smile or roll their eyes at the cute jokes, but they might start wondering if they could do something like that themselves. When the sign breaks, it comes across with the right frustration, and that without growing mean or vindictive. It simply brings the right amount of sadness, and then, determination. The message is wholesome the enter way through.
The text is concise and simple enough for readers, who have a good handle on their words, to pick up and try themselves. The illustrations are bright and cheerful, and hold just enough details to make them interesting without growing too complex. It fits the story nicely. The only thing I missed was a few more jokes on the board, even while it turns to the breakage problem, but this wasn't an issue either. The jokes were just cute.
It makes a nice read aloud for individual as well as group settings.
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