This is a children's book version of "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)". ( )

A cute story about lasting friendships, Ollie and Claire is about two friends that do everything together. Claire decided she wanted change one day, and saw an ad for someone looking for a friend to adventure with. Turns out, that ad was from Ollie. Together, they travel the world.
This story can be used as a writing model on many levels. Student can learn to write from third person, but also have first person dialogue within the text. This story also poses a conflict and a resolution, and children can see that they can write with that structure. Having an introduction, a conflict, and a resolution to that conflict. Although it is good to have children free write what they please, giving children a topic or structure of writing can help them expand their writing skills. ( )

Pooches are BFF. ( )

Ollie and Claire by Tiffany Strelitz Haber is about two dear friends who have their routine and love each other and the things they do together. Except Claire wants to expand her horizons and go on a trip. She desperately wants to take Ollie along except she's convinced herself that he won't want to go, so she tries to find a traveling companion, to hilarious and charming results.

After my daughter and I read this book together our conversation about the story evolved into a recollection of what it was like in the early days of dating her father. Ultimately this book isn't so much about the dangers of routine as it is the dangers of assuming you know what your nearest and dearest is always thinking.

Interlude whilst I wander down memory lane and get sentimental about mushy stuff. If you don't want to read it, you can stop here and know that I loved the book. Cute story. Cute illustrations.

Before I met the person who would ultimately become my spouse, I had the romantic, albeit naive, notion that whomever I met would be able to read me like a book and just know what I wanted. We would just be on the same page. Oh silly, silly me. People don't work that way.

After a very frustrating walk to the cliffs to watch the sunset my boyfriend of all of about two months — maybe — rightfully snapped, "I can't read minds!" And while that's not exactly what Claire learns in this book, it's close. Her lesson is more like, don't assume Ollie doesn't like to travel just because you've never seen him go anywhere. Or perhaps, ask before you assume. ( )