Title: Where Oliver Fits
Author/Illustrator: Cale Atkinson
Age Group: 3-6
Synopsis: Oliver is so excited to find where he fits in life but after trying and trying he can’t find his place and is faced with the decision of changing who he is to fit in or staying true to himself.
The Lowdown:
There is a pretty typical peer pressure conversation starter that would fit perfectly right here in this first paragraph. But it’s a well known situation that has been true since the beginning of time and will be true until the end of time. That sounds pessimistic but really what it is is realistic. There will always be something that people, not just kids, are pressured into by either society or our surrounding social network. Some of it can be good, some bad, some just somewhere in the middle. The key to all of this is not to encourage our children to avoid peer pressure completely (that’s impossible) but to teach them how to respond to it responsibly and find peer pressure that is positive. I think Where Oliver Fits encapsulates that with the perfect metaphor to bring it all home.
Oliver is introduced as a sweet little puzzle piece who dreams of being part of something bigger, maybe something wild, fantastical, adventurous. However, whenever he looks for where he fits in the more he sees that he just doesn’t fit anywhere. And so he does what many people do, he works to change himself in order to fit with the other pieces. This doesn’t work and finally desperate, frustrated, and lonely he decides to completely remake himself. Completely unrecognizable after his efforts, Oliver easily fits in with the other pieces. They readily accept him but as he sits there watching them reject and mock the other pieces that come along searching for a place he wonders if he is even himself anymore. It’s this small moment of clarity that provides the courage he needs and Oliver breaks cover only to be teased by the other pieces. But then he begins to notice something. He fits perfectly with the other left out pieces and by accepting themselves they find what they were searching for all along.
Cale Atkinson does a masterful job of presenting engaging illustrations full of deep colors and accessible emotions. Oliver himself is the cutest little puzzle piece and readers can easily be charmed by his sweet expressions of hope as he imagines his life. Later and perhaps more importantly his frustration and disappointment are quite clear and allow young ones to grasp the trouble that he is going through finding his way. These vivid expressions are extremely important as they continue to give a meaningful subtext to the entire store and really bring it to life for little ones who still may have issues identifying emotions. When Oliver goes through the process of changing himself, Atkinson uses items that seem quite tame: markers, tape, glue. But the end product is like seeing a botched plastic surgery job, completely unrecognizable. Atkinson is illustrating the danger of changing ourselves that much, and illustrating it well.
Where Oliver Fits delivers a powerful message in a sweet way that’s so incredibly accessible to kids. Puzzles are such a common sort item and yet such a powerful medium for such an accurate metaphor. Delivering this message early on doesn’t guarantee that our children will accept themselves and stay true when faced with peer pressure but it does give them a guide and really as parents that’s all we can do.
Story Tips:
- This is an amazing springboard for discussing peer pressure, staying true to yourself, and bullying.
- See if you can guess where Oliver will end up.
I need more!
Cale Atkinson has illustrated quite a few books and also has his own that he’s authored/illustrated: To The Sea, Explorers in the Wild, and his newest book Off & Away. For more about Cale check out his website at: http://www.cale.ca/books/
