one of his best ( )

I do love Olivia!! ( )

Olivia the pig returns in this eighth picture-book devoted to her madcap adventures, this time discovering (as have many before her) that eavesdroppers rarely hear anything good about themselves. Listening in on her mother's telephone conversation, in which some (very justified!) venting is occurring, Olivia gets the idea that she is to be sent to an 'institution,' specifically, to prison. Her subsequent visit to the ballet is quite a relief, although she manages to cause chaos there too. In the end, the question is: has she learned her lesson...?

This being Olivia, it's doubtful she has, and I'm sure the reader can expect more high-spirited but essentially goodhearted shenanigans in future installments of her story. Like its predecessors, Olivia the Spy features an entertaining tale about a mischievous, head-strong girl-pig, and beautiful artwork done in charcoal and gouache. As someone who has attended the ballet at Lincoln Center a number of times, I was tickled that the theater that Olivia and her mother visit is the one here in NYC. Recommended to all Olivia fans, and to anyone looking for children's stories about eavesdropping on others. ( )