Ian Falconer's Olivia Coming to Nickelodeon

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SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 5/28/2008 2:05:00 PM

Olivia, the cute little porcine diva beloved by kids, has conquered the printed word with more than six million copies of the Ian Falconer books sold to date. Now she's taking on TV—in a 3D format, no less.

Chorion, a provider of family entertainment, will bring Olivia to the small screen for Nickelodeon, which will launch the series over the course of 26 half-hour episodes in the first quarter of 2009.

Not that Olivia in print will fade away: the Simon Spotlight and Simon Scribbles imprints at Simon & Schuster will develop television tie-ins, using formats ranging from storybooks to novelty and coloring books.

The Olivia television series will foster "the sense of make-believe and play that every preschooler has," encouraging young viewers "to be creative and to think beyond the scope of everyday parameters," says the cable network.

The Olivia book series has been translated into more than 20 languages. The most recent Olivia Helps with Christmas (S & S) was released last fall. New Yorker illustrator Ian Falconer, meanwhile, was recently voted “Favorite Illustrator” by over 50,000 children at the Children’s Choice Book Awards.