Where Oliver Fits

by Cale Atkinson

Overview

Oliver is a little piece of a big puzzle. Like all of us, Oliver just wants to find where he fits, but finding his place in the great puzzle of life isn't easy. A sweet and funny story that shows fitting in isn't always the best fit. Now in a board book edition. Full color.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735265110
Publisher:	Tundra
Publication date:	04/02/2019
Pages:	38
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

CALE ATKINSON is an illustrator, writer and animator. He is the author and illustrator of To the Sea, Explorers of the Wild and Maxwell the Monkey Barber, and the illustrator of If I Had a Gryphon and The Day Santa Stopped Believing in Harold. His work can be found in children's books, animated shorts, television and games. Cale lives with his family in Kelowna, BC.

Editorial Reviews

One of CCBC’S Best Books for Kids & Teens (2018)

"Atkinson’s message on being true to yourself is valuable . . . . His Photoshop artwork bursts with color and ingenuity." —Kirkus Reviews

"Find room on the shelves for this picture book, because feeling like you don’t belong is universal… A solid choice for discussion, and one-on-one or small group sharing." —School Library Journal

“[U]tter eye candy, with primary colours exploding on every page and each puzzle picture more vibrant than the one before… pure joy.” —Quill & Quire

From the Publisher

2017-07-15
Oliver searches for his proper place. "Do you ever wonder where you fit?" Puzzle piece Oliver, with a large round head that's half blue and half orange, wants to be part of something exciting, wild, out of this world. But where? On his first puzzle he tries, he's the wrong color; on the second, the wrong shape. Oliver decides that being himself is getting him nowhere; he colors himself red to fit in. This works, until his shape gets him ejected. He tries different appendages to change his nature, all to no avail. Desperate, Oliver decides to go to extremes. He changes himself, with tape and staples and a purple crayon, till he's unrecognizable. He fits snugly into a purple puzzle. Everything is perfect, but it doesn't feel that way to Oliver. He's pretending he's someone else. "What fun is it to fit in?" When he takes off his disguise, he's immediately rejected and alone again. Still, Oliver's glad to feel like himself again. He looks around and sees other pieces that, like him, have tried glue and tape and other bits to fit in. Maybe they'll all fit together. They do, in a genre-mashing picture that's exciting, wild, and out of this world. Atkinson's message on being true to yourself is valuable, but his puzzle-piece metaphor has its limitations when applied to individuality. His Photoshop artwork bursts with color and ingenuity, however. A good-hearted, if somewhat confusing, meditation. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews