Read all of Slate’s stories about the 25 Greatest Picture Books of the Past 25 Years .

Back when Ian Falconer’s Olivia was published in 2000, it was evident that the headstrong, creative piglet at its center was based on a real little girl. In interviews, Falconer—a set designer and illustrator for the New Yorker—referred to his niece, also named Olivia, as the inspiration for his character, who went on to appear in almost a dozen books and a hit TV series. Twenty-five years later, I found the real Olivia, Olivia Falconer Crane, no longer a precocious little girl but a grown-up natural resource technician. I talked to her over the phone about what it was like seeing your own life reflected in a popular picture book, about separating yourself from the character inspired by you

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