Jasper & Ollie
by Alex Willan (Author)
Two funny, unlikely friends, a thoughtful sloth and an impatient fox make their big debut in this hilarious new picture book celebrating friendship and the wonderful ways in which we're all different.
Best friends Jasper and Ollie decide to go to the pool. On your mark, get set . . . WAIT! As Jasper races ahead--crashing into the mailman, speeding past the ice cream truck--Ollie takes his sweet time, pausing to admire a butterfly, smell a daisy, and help the mailman pick up his letters! With a clever design that shows Jasper's hectic rush compared with Ollie's casual stroll, this hilarious story allows young readers to easily recognize the differences between the two pals.
It's a smartly paced, hugely funny celebration of what makes each person special. Kids AND grown-ups will giggle as they decide if they're more of a "Jasper" or an "Ollie." It's also a great story to share the concept of "taking time to smell the roses" a perfect lesson in our overly scheduled world.
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School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1--Jasper the fox and Ollie the sloth are having breakfast when Jasper asks his friend if he wants to go to the pool. Not waiting for the sloth's answer, he challenges Ollie to race him there and flies out the door, pulling on his trunks outside. Not surprisingly, Jasper arrives first and becomes exasperated waiting for Ollie to arrive, convinced that he must have snuck in unnoticed. While Ollie takes his time, a frenetic Jasper turns the place upside down looking for his friend and gets tossed out by the hippo lifeguard for pulling an alarm. When Ollie finally arrives, Jasper suggests that they go to the beach together instead. Willan's colorful cartoonish illustrations borrow some comic book elements, mixing full page spreads with split frames that depict the friends' contrasting journey towards the pool, multiple perspective shifts, using a dotted red line to trace the fox's path, and speech balloons as the story's only narration mechanism. The blocky stylized animals are highly expressive, from the fox's frenzied impatience, the annoyance of the animals at the pool and the delighted dillydallying of the lackadaisical sloth. VERDICT A hilarious and lively romp that sneaks in a message about the importance of patience and will have its readers hoping for some follow-up adventures of the "odd couple" friends.--Yelena Voysey, formerly at Pickering Educational Library, Boston University
Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
"Forget the tortoise and the hare, this tale of friendship between an unhurried sloth and a wild fox is a funnier version of those famous opposites, and one that will have kids wondering whether they're more like the deliberate Ollie or the frenetic Jasper."—ReadBrightly.com Children's Book Council "Hot Off the Press" selection
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV002000 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | General
Foxes
Sloths
Swimming pools
Running races
