Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I want to start by saying that we LOVE Olivia around here. We have and love all five previous books; we have read them and shared them countless times. I've even defended the books by commenting on reviews here that complained that "Olivia is a bad role model" etc.. We pre-ordered the book and I could not wait to get it. We have great memories of European travel and can't wait to share that with our son. He has shared his first experiences with the beach, the museum, helping around the house, etc., with Olivia. And my son is just discovering the world map and the concept of other languages and so I thought the timing was perfect. Nope. This book is different from the others. First, the illustrations. The art is fascinating, and I give it credit. Very different from the three (or rarely 4) colors in the previous books. The Venice streetscape shots populated with the pigs are vivid and interesting. Venice is breathtaking wherever it is. But the simplicity that made the book so accessible to little ones - and so distinctive - is lost. More disappointing and less forgiveable - because I can understand wanting to experiment with illustration style - is the diction, attitude, and "feel" of the books. "Low blood-sugar?" "near hysteria?" "search for weapons?" "typical tourists" Really? The simple but true language of the earlier books was perfect. Being run out of Venice? Destroying San Marco Square? A "fat joke"? Gelato is great but surely could be better introduced and used. Never before has an Olivia book so beat anything to (cliche-filled) death. Look, this might be a good book for a third grader who is a reluctant reader. I see from the description above that this may have been geared to such a person. But I have known Olivia as one beloved by much, much younger kids (1-3 years). By the time these kids are in third grade I think they will have left Olivia type books behind. I'm guessing the new Olivia is inspired from the same original that inspired the earlier ones, and that real-life Oliva may have the vocabulary and attitude this one has (although it is strange that while Olivia has made developmental leaps, poor William is evidently still an infant in diapers). But in this case she left the audience behind. (At least our bit of that audience.) And the place she's gone is not that appealing. Olivia's attitude was always tempered with a bit of self-deprecation and tenderness, but that - the charm - is all but absent here. Might be great for certain older kids, but this one has been shoved under the bed until it makes it to the library donation pile. Arrivederci. Two stars, just because I had such high hopes, and do love Olivia! But not this one. I see that others like it and I really am glad. But I want to share our experience so that others who are coming from the same place we are with the books can be warned to keep this one on the shelf, at least for a while.