Ollianna

Olli has always been Olli. Mum’s boy and Dad’s boy. Dad wants to hike across marshes and wade across rivers, run and fish and climb up to mountain tops – and he wants Olli to come along with him and grow strong. But Olli is strong already: he has strong eyes and is good at seeing. He sees everything that glitters and shines, and everything that is too small and too narrow. His name is like a sweater that’s way too tight because Olli isn’t Olli; Olli senses that something is wrong. What will happen if he becomes Ollianna? Will Dad recognise his boy then?

Olliana is yet another important and wise picture book from Gro Dahle, asking whether you’re a boy or a girl – and what happens if you dare to be yourself. The book is beautifully and originally illustrated by Kaia Dahle Nyhus.
Topic: gender confusion in children; adults’ expectations of boys and girls.