Searching for Oliver K. Woodman
Resources
- Named to the 2007-8 Arkansas Diamond Award reading list !
- Follow travels of the Oliver books on Bookcrossing.com! Look up BookCrossing ID#: 146-5024122 and 691-5024131
- Order from Harcourt Children's Books
- Interviews with Darcy Pattison and Joe Cepeda
- Download a pattern to make your own cardboard Imogene and Imogene Activity Guide. (Pdf file)
- Accelerated Reader Test--Reading Level 3.8 , 0.5 points
- Invite Oliver to your school! Call Costume Specialists at 1-800-596-9357.
The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman
Resources
-
- Order from Harcourt Children's Books
- Interviews with Darcy Pattison and Joe Cepeda
- Download a pattern to make your own cardboard Oliver. (Pdf file)
- Download Journeying with Oliver Activity Guide. (Pdf file)
- Invite Oliver to your school! Call Costume Specialists at 1-800-596-9357.
- Accelerated Reader Test--Reading Level 4.2 , 0.5 points
Order from
Harcourt Children's Books.
MORE about Oliver and Imogene
The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman is a book that I've journeyed with for eleven years, from first draft to final book. Oliver's official publication date is April 1, 2003, which seems a curious counterpoint to the sort of (good) luck that befalls the story's hero.
It all began when I saw a newspaper article about a wooden man who traveled around the country. People who helped him travel sent postcards back to the owner. I thought there should be a story there, but it took time to figure out how I should approach the narrative. It seemed awkward to write it from the wooden man's viewpoint—and then it struck me that Oliver's story could be told in letters.
I took out a map of the United States and started to write. This time, I wrote each postcard or letter in the voice of the person who helped Oliver travel. Some friends had moved to Rock Hill, South Carolina, so I started there. And I've always wanted to see the redwoods, so I ended near there.
In fact, most places Oliver travels through in the book have a special meaning for me. I currently live in Arkansas; my father grew up in Texas; I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and spent my childhood there; a friend of mine lives in Utah; my aunt liked visiting casinos; and I have always wanted to see the redwoods.
Illustrated by Joe Cepeda
Joe Cepeda's brilliant color palette is created with oils over an acrylic under-painting on board.
Although I faced many challenges in writing the book, I realized this story would also be a challenge for an illustrator. After all, the artist had to create a wooden man who would make a heroic main character. Joe Cepeda's illustrations are brilliant. Oliver doesn't even have a mouth, yet–like Miss Utah–I'd swear he's grinning at us throughout his journey.
Searching for Oliver K. Woodman, illustrated by Joe Cepeda (Harcourt)
Oliver again starts out for Tameka's house, but this time he gets lost. After sixty days, his friends are very worried. They decide to send out a private investigator to find him. They build a wooden woman--Imogene Poplar, P.I.--who starts out on a cross-country search for the missing Oliver.
It's fun to add personal things to the books. The date of each letter is a birthday of one of my friends or family. Joe Cepeda painted himself, his wife and son into the Chicago jazz scene. These are small things that don't interfere with the story, but make it more special for us.
©2002/2003 Darcy Pattison.
Illustrations from The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman ©2003 Joe Cepeda.
Illustrations from Searching for Oliver K. Woodman © 2005 Joe Cepeda
Published by Harcourt, Inc., reproduced with permission.
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