Every Little Bit Olive Tran

"STARRED REVIEW: Joyful and celebratory seem like odd descriptors for a book about racism, but author Phuong Truong and artist Christine Wei manage this delicate balance rather deftly in Every Little Bit Olive Tran. The story centres around the eponymous heroine’s 10th birthday. Olive’s eagerness for her newfound freedom – she’ll finally be old enough to walk to school by herself and go to Kandy Korner whenever she wants! – is marred by the rise of anti-Asian hate in her neighbourhood....Underneath all this is a defiant thread of Asian joy....Ultimately, Olive’s story is one of community, courage, and celebration."

“Every Little Bit Olive Tran explores racism through the eyes of a child.… The solution to addressing it was a conversation, an admittance of the behaviour, and an apology. Highly Recommended.”

"Truong’s book introduces readers to Olive Tran, the unnamed Asian girl in the 2023 title, Everyone Is Welcome. Olive lives in a community where overt anti-Asian racism exists. While planning her 10th birthday party, Olive learns about verbal and physical assaults on family, friends, and other Asian people. Olive’s feelings of safety in her neighborhood are tested. Something is not right, but what to do about it? Is older brother Ben on to something when he asks Olive that if they can’t solve all the world’s problems in a day, does every little bit they do actually help? Olive devises a plan for her birthday party that will involve family and friends. The story includes a few Vietnamese words, with their meanings explained within the text. Hate incidents are described in language that readers can understand and sadly might relate to. Wei’s colorful full-page illustrations capture a handful of key scenes that move the story along and that are reflective of Olive’s cultural background. Although the reading age is listed as grades one through three, readers will likely find the overall vocabulary and sentence structure to be more appropriate for grades three through five.

VERDICT A solid story about friendships, cultural acceptance, and kindness that will circulate well in libraries."