Olivia’s unmatched zest for life and excitement can sometimes be too much for her mother, who disciplines Olivia with a “time out” for her impromptu artwork.

Are there rules for creativity, or is art making just unconscious inspiration? If creativity only comes from inside someone or through inspiration, where does the originality spring from, and how does originality arise? If you paint an original masterpiece, where does the uniqueness come from? How can something be created from nothing? As Olivia looks up at a Jackson Pollock painting in a museum, she quips that she could probably “do that in five minutes,” which can lead to a discussion on modern art.įrom dress-up to sandcastles, Olivia is bright and quick to learn, respectively “feeling it’s important to come prepared” and “becoming pretty good at it.” These are character traits that can kick off a conversation on creativity. It prompts us to discuss whether we even need to have a definition for art.

Ian Falconer’s distinctive style of simple, monochromatic art can make for an engaging back-and-forth on what makes someone an artist what makes something a piece of artwork. Olivia also offers opportunities to discuss art and culture. Some philosophers point out that creativity always occurs in a context in fact, something is creative in a given field insofar as people who know that field judge it to be both new and valuable, opening up a whole bunch of new questions for discussion: What does it mean for a work of art to be good or valuable, who are the relevant experts that we need to consult, and so on. A modern economist might say that value is price a Marxist would say that value is socially necessary labor time someone else might say that a thing is valuable insofar as it is useful for attaining a goal. Some think that being creative means coming up with new and valuable stuff, which immediately raises some interesting questions about value. Olivia’s imaginative attempts to reproduce a Jackson Pollock painting on her living room wall can lead to an interesting philosophical discussion on the nature of creativity. Olivia features the irrepressible Olivia, a renaissance pig who is at once dancer, fashion designer, architect, artist, and big sister. Read aloud video by Storytime Bunnies Guidelines for Philosophical Discussion This beautifully-illustrated book offers the opportunity for a rich discussion of philosophical concepts including value, creativity, art, and curiosity. Olivia is a confident, strong-minded, and inexhaustible young girl who puts her own creative flair on a wide range of interests from ballet to sandcastles. Ian Falconer’s picture book Olivia features snippets of various days in the life of the piggy protagonist Olivia. Questions for Philosophical Discussion » Summary Olivia explores philosophical notions of creativity, art, and moderation by following a spunky pig and her busy days.

Olivia childrens books