Olga da Polga

Olga da Polga

Olga da Polga is a fictional character and heroine of Michael Bond's The Tales of Olga da Polga (ISBN 0-19-275130-1) series. Unlike his more famous character Paddington Bear, Olga (a guinea pig) is a teller of tall tales in the style of Baron Münchhausen. The rough frame work of the stories is something like this: Something fairly ordinary will happen to Olga, she will tell her animal friends a wildly exaggerated version of events, which are often revealed to be untrue by what the humans say later on.

Contents

Friends

  • Karen Sawdust - Olga's owner and caretaker. As a child, she seems to understand Olga better than her parents.
  • Mrs. Sawdust - Karen's mother.
  • Mr. Sawdust - Karen's father. Built Olga's home.
  • Noel - Karen's pet black cat. He's very sly and knowledgeable in the ways of the world, as he is free to enter and leave the house as he pleases. Although he claims to not believe most of Olga's tales, he still listens to them often.
  • Graham - A tortoise. Dislikes being picked up and set down upside down. He's very slow, but often has a unique way of viewing the world.
  • Fangio - A hedgehog with Argentine blood. He often stays in a box in the Sawdust's garage, and enjoys a meal of bread soaked in milk. He often goes to the Elysian Fields (a patch of waste land beyond the shubbery).
  • Boris - Olga's boyfriend. He lives by the seaside, and is also the father of Olga's children. He watches too much TV, but this makes him a very good storyteller. He rivals Olga in the storytelling department.
  • Fircone and Raisin - Two gerbils that Karen buys later. Although Olga is initially jealous of them, as they are kept in Karen's room and seem to be her favorites, she quickly warms up to them. They bite Noel when he tries to sneak up on them, which earns Olga's respect, as she admires them for standing up to Noel, small as they are.
  • Venables - A toad who lives in pond in the Sawdust family's yard.

Tales

Olga da Polga makes a friend

In this tale, Olga meets a male guinea pig named Boris, who slyly tricks Olga into giving up her food. Olga is frustrated when she discovers this, but 'cannot stay cross with Boris for long, especially when he cuddles up to her'. At the end of the story, Boris leaves, and Olga is sad. This is in 'Olga meets her match.'

See also

References

  1. ^ Gurney specialised in the treatment of guinea pigs, and treated Bond's guinea pig who was the inspiration for Olga. Daily telegraph
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