Ollie's Odyssey

As always, William Joyce has blown me away with his creative and whimsical mind. No, whimsical isn't the correct word. Magical. The difference? Whimsy can be mindless wonder with no meaning. But William Joyce always ALWAYS has meaning behind the wonder in his stories. There is always a story behind every character, a protector of a child, and a promise to be the best one can be for another. His stories are full of hope and love. I am not ashamed to say that, as a young adult, I love William Joyce's stories because he is a wonderful storyteller and illustrator. When I first heard about Ollie's Odyssey, I immediately looked forward to its release. This is because the premise reminds me of my favorite story from childhood, which is The Velveteen Rabbit. But, strangely enough, this story was very different from The Velveteen Rabbit. While The Velveteen Rabbit tells us that a toy becomes Real after being loved by a child, Ollie's Odyssey tells us that it doesn't matter if something is real or not. What matters is that the thing that is loved will be remembered forever. Wow. What a powerful end message of this story. Remembrance. Memory. As an adult now, looking back at childhood toys and stories that I still cherish today, I can say that that message rings just as true and effective as the message of The Velveteen Rabbit.This is the part where you want me to stop ranting and actually review the story of the book. The story is simple, and is a little like Toy Story. But instead of Andy's toys looking for Andy after being separated, imagine Andy's favorite toy (I guess Buzz and Woody) being kidnapped, and Andy and his favorite toy(s) have to find one another again. In this story, Billy goes after his lost toy Ollie, while Ollie, having escaped his captors, tries to get back to Billy. But darker forces are at play. And seriously awesome plot points happen because of one reason: William Joyce is a children's literature genius. His creativity knows no bounds! I thought he couldn't make another baddie as interesting and dark as Kozmotis Pitchiner (aka Pitch the Nightmare King from the Guardians of Childhood series), but boy was I wrong!Seriously, if you love imaginary characters and worlds where everyday items have a heart and a soul and go on adventures with you...if you love clever plot twists and creative designs or backstories...and if you have fond memories of childhood toys you once had, then this book is for you. I didn't CRY, but I was definitely feeling emotions at the end.A MUST READ! Not to mention a quick one ;)

The best way to describe this book is if Tim Burton produced a mash-up of The Velveteen Rabbit and Toy Story. As a person who loves both, I was pleasantly surprised by this wonderful story. This story is told by Billy, who is a little boy, and Ollie, who is Billy's favorite toy, a plush animal that's not quite a bunny, not quite a bear, with a very special part inside of him. It chronicles the adventure of both characters after they are separated and they each go on a journey to find one another again. Though this is similar to The Velveteen Rabbit, it has a much more modern feel, and even a darker side in parts. It is more likely to appeal to today's readers because of this. Ollie's Odyssey successfully stands on it's own as a wonderful story, but it does not hurt that it will remind some of us of one of our favorite classic stories. I had not heard of this story until it caught my attention at the bookstore and I'm so glad it did. I'm a teacher who loves to add to my classroom library, and I know if it grabbed my attention, it will also grab the attention of my students. Now that I've read it, I'm even more excited to share it with my students and encourage them to try it for themselves. It will also give me a reason to take out my copy of The Velveteen Rabbit and share it so we can discuss the similarities and differences between the two beautiful stories!

If you're into children's books you know William Joyce. You can't go wrong. It's lovely book.

Very sweet book, challenging enough for my 8 year old, an adventure story that engages you from start to end. Looking forward to reading the authors other books. My son went through it quickly.

Absolutely love this book! Read it out loud to my family years ago and have purchased for gifts a few times. It is a great book to keep on your bookshelf or give to new parents as a shower gift.

pictures are kind of crummy

I highly recommend this book for young readers who are ready for chapter books. My daughter is seven, and she doesn't want to put this book down....its day three and she is almost done reading it. She didn't want me to read it for her......she says that it is too good. So all I can tell you is that whatever the writer put in this book captivated my child's imagination enough for her to take it into the bathtub with her. She tried to read it while she was brushing her teeth. Any book that makes a child want to read THAT much is a winner in my opinion. I'll have her tell me what the book is about when she is finished which will be either today or tomorrow. Bottom line......the book must be awesome. I'll take her enthusiasm over any book review any day.

Great story not like the show but still good

I read to my son every night. I went looking for a chapter book to read so we could have a continuous story journey that he would be able to follow. So far we are half way threw, my son loves this book. He loves the charectors. he could relate to the main characters. And I agree. This book is so far a beautifully engaging story. It is not over run by pictures, which I enjoy as my son listens more to to the story itself. But the pictures it does have are absolutely very well done and cute. I would reccomend this book. And will purchase for gifts in the future.

The book arrived quickly and in perfect condition. The book is beautiful and the story is delightful.

The most adorable story and absolutely gorgeous photos! It wasn't childish, so as an adult I enjoyed it as well. A keeper for sure.

Gave to my granddaughter for christmas

"Ollie's Odyssey" is a heartwarming, joyous, emotional, epic adventure, with brilliant, very evocative illustrations. Kids (mostly primary grades + plus Gr 4) will enjoy it immensely and parents will shed many a tears, I can guarantee it.