As they went through the airport, Olivia was searched for weapons.

She was pleased.

photo from Twitter

Olivia Goes to Venice

by Ian Falconer

Not just a regular schlub.

* author and illustrator of Olivia series

*  covers New Yorker 

* sets and costumes for: 

** NY City Ballet 

** SF Opera

** Covent Garden 

** among others

Ho, boy. Reviewers are not having it because of this page. They are overwhelming against it. Because of this.

But people like it too. What do they say? Forget lowest reviews for the nonce, we know what they'll say, but what do people who defend the book say?  From the top comments at Amazon. 

* And one word for those people concerned over the page where Olivia is in the airport. The picture is of two security guards with handheld metal detector wands waving them over Olivia while she stands in line. This occurs at every airport and is something any child flying will have to experience, so of course Falconer would make a joke about it. It is completely in Olivia's character that she would find this funny and be amused. Previous reviews offended by the scene are REALLY reading something into this that just is not there.

That's wonderful. The little pig in the story is tickled to be tickled by two pig security inspectors with probes. And that is completely within the little pig's character so all is well, and human children that are read this bedtime story are comforted also in anticipation of that same amusement of going through real inspections with real probes and have nothing at all to concern themselves with besides tickles from strangers. Sometimes it's good to be ticked by strangers.

Aother top comment, loves Olivia, easily #1 fav, she is spunky, precocious, in fine form in Venice but two minor complaints 1) one image used twice 2) too charcoal emphasis lines. That said, he is 31 and read the book TWICE ALREADY 111!!!!1!11

21 people loved loved loved the book, it is an entertaining book, looking inside, the sort of thing I would like myself were it not for this one marring page. That the good reviewers refuse to acknowledge the bad reviewers have some kind of point is a bit frightening. Their point is stated explicitly repeatedly but the replies to them that I see address something else, like "it is within the pig's character," they refuse to acknowledge it as psychological training and NOT AT ALL SUBTLE preconditioning, in fact, mock the idea.