Author: Mickie
Illustrator: Zoe Laverne

The Adventures of Oscar and Oliver: Oliver Gets a Brother is a story about Oliver the cat who has a good life but sometimes gets a bit lonely. One day his mother tells him she’s going out to get him a surprise. Will Oliver like his gift or will he want to send it back?

The Adventures of Oscar and Oliver by Mickie inner page

Something that bothered me straight off is the title. With Oscar’s name getting first billing, I thought he would be the first character in the series we get introduced to. Not a huge deal and most likely not something kids would pick up on, but something that occurred to me.

I think facial cues are very important in books for small children and the graphics in this story missed the mark. When Oliver isn’t sure if he likes his surprise, his faces indicates that he is VERY excited instead of unsure.

As for the content of the story, it was a little basic. There was no lesson to be learned, no moral of the story. Really it was just here is a cat who met a dog, the end.

The Adventures of Oscar and Oliver: Oliver Gets a Brother is not a title we will be revisiting. The graphics were bland and somewhat confusing and storyline doesn’t really tell a tale worth telling.