Last post I was talking about cover designs. The Tales of Olga da Polga was first published in 1971 and so this classic book has undergone many different cover designs. I was lucky to borrow the one illustrated by Catherine Rayner. It has black and white illustrations which are perfect but I have discovered there is also a colour version (2015).
The tales of Olga Polga is one of those classic books that appears on most read-aloud lists. I am not sure why I had missed reading it until now.
"There was a kind of charm about her, something in the set of her whiskers, an extra devil-may-care twirl to the rosettes in her brown and white fur, and a gleam in her eyes, which set her apart. Even her name had an air of romance. How she had come by it was something of a mystery, and Olga herself told so many fanciful tales about moonlit nights, castles in the air, and fields awash with oats and beautiful princesses ..."
Olga is a natural storyteller. She enthralls her audience with her tall tales of guinea pigs in Peru and how they came by their rosettes and a wonderful tale about a tower of guinea pigs who sent one of their kind to the moon.
Olga is a force of nature. She is very confident and somewhat opinionated but somehow also quite naive and this gives her a sweet charm. I am looking forward to exploring some of the other stories by Michael Bond about little Olga. There are six in the series along with some omnibus editions and picture books. Each chapter, and there are thirteen, in The Tales of Olga da Polga can stand alone and so this is a perfect book for a family or class read-aloud.
The best word for this/these stories really is fun. They are fun to read, fun to hear, fun to see, and fun to imagine. Both parents and kids will love Olga da Polga. Expect many nights reading about this fascinating guinea pig, from the creator of Paddington Bear. Kid Lit Reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment