Ollie’s Backpack (Carefree Ollie Book 1)

Ollie’s Backpack is the first book in the Carefree Ollie series. Ollie is a little boy who collects things in the backpack that he carries around daily. Ollie picks up anything from drawings and crayons to trying to carry an igloo. Ollie encounters multiple situations throughout his day in which he adds cares to his backpack. These cares are both positive and negative. The story focuses on the weight of the cares that Ollie carries with him and how they eventually weigh him down. Ollie has to learn how to let these cares go in order to feel lighter and happier. As a teacher, I like to find stories that focus on the social and emotional well-being of children in order to teach skills. However, Ollie’s Backpack may create some confusion with children since the story includes positive experiences as weight we carry throughout our day. I believe this story can be used as a tool for children to learn about not letting the weight of their worries to bring them down. I also believe parents and teachers need to add some teaching to let children know it’s okay to hold onto the positives a little longer, but not to let them overshadow other aspects of life.