What Ollie Saw
What Ollie Saw
Published by Van Goor, 2012
Revised reprint by Querido, 2019
Illustrations by Sieb Posthuma
Rights sold to the United States, Germany, Denmark, Taiwan, Spain
Ollie doesn’t see things the same way everybody else does (and he certainly doesn’t see things the same way his older sister does). Instead of cars in traffic, Ollie sees a circus parade. Instead of cows grazing in a field, Ollie sees deadly bison with sharp horns and hooves. And at school, instead of letters on the board, Ollie sees birds with pointy beaks, and fish with flapping tails in the big blue sea.
Ollie knows he doesn’t need glasses, because he likes the world better the way he sees it. But will his parents and bossy sister see things his way?
'A superb, humorous story that celebrates individuality and nonconformity.'
School Library Journal
'Posthuma’s subversive drawings are full of snarky mirth: Ollie’s sister’s “grizzling” is all the funnier for being spoken by a pig in a dainty dress and pearls. In a fine translation by Nagelkerke, Akveld champions staying true to oneself, no matter what others indicate those letters on the eye chart are.'Publishers Weekly
'With a stroke of the pen, Akveld has written an ode to the imagination.'Tubantia
'A witty picture book with beautiful illustrations by Sieb Posthuma.'Dagblad van het Noorden
