A while back, the first book in the Olive series, Olive the Little Woolly Bugger, was reviewed on Amazon.com by Jason Kirkfield. Mr. Kirkfield recently did the same for the second book, Olive and The Big Stream:
July 31, 2011
As with the first entry from this series*, author/illustrator Kirk Werner offers a uniquely enjoyable means of learning about flyfishing. Where the first book sees Olive the Little Woolly Bugger attending camp, here she gets her first chance to catch a real fish. Olive is in fact a fishing fly, and the anthropomorphized heroine is a perfect stand-in for a young child. Kirk’s illustrations are energetic and expressive, and his story is both empowering and educational.
Olive and the Big Stream is obviously a perfect choice for kids going fishing for the first time. In broader terms, the Olive books are just as wonderful for any new activities your child may be starting. Olive continues to set a good example with her positive attitude, using both physical as well as mental strength to catch a fish, thus earning a coveted top-row spot in The Fly Box.
This book continues to champion Catch and Release: “Olive was glad that the trout was set free because she wanted nothing more than to come back to The Big Stream and catch him again.” Indeed, the co-star of this second book (Mr. Trout) is immensely likable, even with no dialogue. Kirk Werner entertains the dream of seeing Olive turned into an animated film, and I would love to see that happen.
We recently took our kids fishing for the first time, and these first two books were the best preparation I could have hoped for. In addition to learning about the equipment and mechanics of fishing, Olive and her pals share the real joy of fishing: just being out there in nature is a worthwhile endeavor. We even used woolly buggers. (To no avail, sadly.) The best part? The kids can’t wait to go fishing again. That’s an unqualified success for Olive and for Kirk Werner, too.
The appendix of a dozen photographs of real flies (again, not real “live” flies, but real photographs of flies used in flyfishing) is the same as in the first book, and I frequently referred to it both during the story, and especially afterward during our preparation for the trip.
* I also reviewed the first title in the series, Olive the Little Woolly Bugger, and will be reviewing the third and (at the moment) final title, Olive Goes for a Wild Ride.
[The reviewer was provided with a complimentary copy of the book.]
To read the review on Amazon and to see all other reviews by Jason Kirkfield, go HERE.