Where Oliver Fits
Where Oliver Fits | by Cale Atkinson
Oliver has always dreamed about where he will fit. Will he be in the mane of a unicorn? The tentacle of a pirate squid? The helmet of an astronaut? When he finally goes in search of his perfect place, he finds that trying to fit in is a lot harder than he thought. But like any puzzle, a little trial and error leads to a solution, and Oliver figures out exactly where he belongs. Where Oliver Fits is a sweet and funny story that explores all the highs and lows of learning to be yourself and shows that fitting in isn't always the best fit.
Distinctions: Shortlisted, OLA Forest of Reading (2019).
Ideal for:
World Kindness Day November 13
No Name Calling Week January
Pink Shirt Day February 23
French Language Day March 20
Belonging–National Day to End Bullying May 15.
Where Oliver Fits. Text © 2017 Cale Atkinson Illustrations © 2017 Cale Atkinson. Reproduced by permission of Tundra Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers, a Penguin Random House Company, Toronto.
Like many of us, Oliver wonders where he fits. He longs to be part of something bigger—something exciting! He wants to belong. But Oliver, a round-headed, blue and orange puzzle piece, doesn’t seem to fit anywhere. So, he tries altering himself (just a bit) to make himself more like the others. First, he alters his colour, then his shape, then dons various disguises until finally, his true self completely obscured, he finds a place where he fits in perfectly. But after a while, especially as he witnesses other puzzle pieces being rejected as he once was, Oliver feels ill at ease. “If I have to hide and pretend to be someone else,” he wonders, “am I still really me?” Courageously, Oliver takes off his disguise and is immediately cast out. Just when it seems he will remain despised and alone, Oliver realizes that there are other misfits out there with whom he is a perfect fit.
Biblical Themes: belonging, welcome, integrity, identity, authenticity, being yourself. Although most of these themes sound very contemporary, as does the message about being yourself and eventually finding your people, there is potential to make connections with the identity formed through baptism, and the broader biblical idea that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” by a God who knows us and loves us as we are.
Making Connections:
Write a Psalm. In worship or a small group setting, reading Psalm 139. Talk about what this Psalm says about identity. What difference does it make to think that we are known by God from before our birth and accompanied throughout our lives? Write your own Psalm or poem describing how it feels to be out of place. Then write another one describing how it feels to be truly known and understood.
Puzzle Night. Host an all-ages jigsaw puzzle night, with puzzles of various difficulties laid out on separate tables. Let people wander from one table to the next, putting together a bit here and there.
Cooperative Puzzle. Buy or borrow a large foam floor puzzle. Create teams of six or seven people and give each team a chance to work together to put the puzzle together, while being timed. The first time can be a free-for-all. The second time, have the teams try doing the puzzle without talking to one another. The third time, ask the teams to appoint a leader who will give directions. See which method is most effective!
Two Truths and a Lie. In a group, give each person a chance to tell two things about themselves that are true, and one that is not. The rest of the group has to guess which thing is false! This can be a fun (and funny) way of getting to know surprising things, even about people you thought you knew.
Baptism Welcome Cards: If there is a baptism coming up in your congregation, host a card-making session where people can make and write cards for the candidate for baptism, welcoming them to the family.
Baptism Banner. In preparation for a service where baptism will be celebrated or remembered, host an all-age banner-making party. Spread a length of white cloth (something that will hold fabric paint) on a large table and put out trays of fabric paint in different shades of blue. Sketch out the outline of a wave or flowing water on the fabric. Invite everyone to dip their hands in the paint and make a handprint on the wave. Remember to provide lots of wipes for cleanup! Let the banner dry, attach it to a dowel, perhaps add details like a felt pitcher from which the water is pouring, and hang it up in the service as a sign that everyone belongs.
