Tales of Oliver Pig (Red Fox Beginners) by Jean Van Leeuwen


Tales of Oliver Pig (Red Fox Beginners)
Title : Tales of Oliver Pig (Red Fox Beginners)
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 009916311X
ISBN-10 : 9780099163114
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 64
Publication : First published January 1, 1979

Five adventures of Oliver Pig with his family.


Tales of Oliver Pig (Red Fox Beginners) Reviews


  • Kathryn

    Love! I don't remember this from my childhood (though it was around then) but it still flooded me with nostalgia. Loving family doing simple household activities together. I appreciated that the mom and the dad both had special activities with their children. The format reminds me of the
    Little Bear books. Very sweet, gently humorous, felt so true to life! I think every parent will be able to relate to the scene in which mother laboriously gets her children dressed to go outside and play in the snow... then asks them to stay put for one minute while she gets herself ready.... you can imagine what happens but it's played out with such honesty yet such kindness!

  • Laura

    Me, reading the book:
    Oliver, listening: HEY! Im not a pig! NO! Oliver is not a pig!

  • Sarah Sammis

    Sean and Harriet love it when I read a story to both of them. Their favorite type of story to share is one about siblings. A recent story that we enjoyed together is Tales of Oliver Pig by Jean Van Leeuwen and illustrated by Arnold Lobel.

    Oliver is about five and his sister Amanda is about one. Their closeness in age to Sean and Harriet added to their enjoyment of the book. Oliver has great plans and Amanda wants to do what her big brother is doing but she sometimes gets in the way. Oliver and Amanda need to learn how to play together.

    The book is divided into five chapters and each one stands alone as a complete story. The chapters are:

    * Baking Day
    * A Bad Day
    * Grandmother's Visit
    * Snowsuits
    * Is It Oliver?

    "Baking Day" tells about how Oliver, Amanda and their mother bake cookies on a rainy day. Sean liked this story since he and I have loved baking together since he was a toddler. "A Bad Day" is a cautionary tale of how hard it can be to share with a rambunctious toddler. "Grandmother's Visit" reminded Sean of the many trips his grandparents have made. "Snowsuits" shows how hard it can be to get two young children ready to go outside in inclement weather; I think I found it funnier than either Sean or Harriet did. The last story, "Is It Oliver?" is cute story of Oliver playing games before bed with his father. Since Sean and Ian do that too, Sean enjoyed re-reading this story with him.

    Tales of Oliver Pig is just one in a long series of books. We checked out the book from the library but I will be keeping the books in mind for future presents.

  • Randie D. Camp, M.S.

    I am a fan of Lobel's illustrations. His pigs are my favorite.

    This book is great for children who are just becoming comfortable with reading. There are plenty of sight words but also new vocabulary that will require basic decoding skills.

    Oliver Pig likes to squabble with his sister, Amanda, but he can also be very caring towards her. Other children just beginning to read might be able to connect with this sibling bond.

    The snowsuit story was hilarious!

  • T.HiggsReviews

    5 Stars

  • Lisa

    Baking Day: Loved how the mother included the children in her tasks. Warm fun way to spend a rainy day.

    A bad day: Definitely sounded like my two kids, glad Oliver found a way to help his sister instead of always pushing her away.

    Grandmother's visit: Cute fun story about preparing for a visit from grandmother.

    Snowsuits: Oh how a parent can relate! Loved how they comforted her.

    Is it Oliver?: Cute story about tucking his son in and playing along that he doesn't know it is him under the covers.

  • Rosa Cline

    This was a charming storybook told in four or five short stories (chapters) Where Oliver (and older brother pig) is getting used to begin an older brother to his toddler sister. But yet sometimes he still wants to be cranky and have things his way as well. His parents are patient with him (and his sister) and teaches both that there is enough love to go around and that being a big brother is sometimes worth it all.

  • Kitty

    I had forgotten this one. I have memories of my mom loving it and now I adore it. It is exactly what life with a 4yo and a 1yo is like. Exactly. I want more. I know there are so many books in this series but the pigs grow up. I want more from the early 80s with them just like this.

  • Don Gubler

    Good beginning reader, cute but nothing special.

  • Michael Fitzgerald

    Lobel's pictures are tasteful and subtle, unlike those of Ann Schweninger in the later books of this series, which are garish.

  • Steph

    Cute beyond measure. So simple, so sweet!

  • Jeremy Hornik

    The snowsuit story is the best.

  • Beth (FebruaryFilly)

    This was a good early reader Rory got from her kinder or 1st grade teacher.

  • Ivan

    Pretty simple stuff with nice illustrations.

  • Dulce

    Historias pequeñas. Pocas palabras. Oraciones simples. ¡Excelente para los primeros lectores! Con esto conquistarán la habilidad, alcanzarán a terminar sus primeros libros y esa idea de seguridad será un reforzador positivo para continuar.

  • Jake

    This is a great bedtime book, because there are 5 small stories in the book. We loved the last one, where Oliver's dad was pretending to not be able to find him as he hid in his room. So silly!

  • Sarah

    I actually preferred Oliver and his sister, Amanda to Frog and Toad. A bit edgier, Oliver and Amanda are refreshingly flawed. Much, much easier to relate to.

  • Jen (Feffer)

    Purchased for my collection.

  • Amy Murray

    I remember reading this book when I was younger--it was one of the first books I could read on my own, probably in the first or second grade. I love it as much now as I did then!

  • Betsy

    My kids have discovered Oliver the Pig! I like the older ones illustrated by Lobel better, but my kids enjoy them all.

  • Amanda

    Emma needed help with a few word. However, she was able to read the story smoothly and she seemed to enjoy it. She was able to re-tell the entire bad day chapter.

  • WSL Library

    x2