In the edition reviewed here, from 2011, there are humorous pen and watercolour wash illustrations by Catherine Rayner, who reports that she herself loved the stories when she was a child. These stories, however, all feature Olga da Polga, a self-important, mischievous and imaginative guinea pig, who loves telling wildly exaggerated tales about her experiences to her friends.

Another main character is Graham, the tortoise, who dislikes being picked up and put upside down, just as Olga da Polga does. When I was a kid, I enjoyed all the Paddington chapter books and this tale by the same author caused me to feel the same sort of comfort I enjoyed when reading about a bear who came to live with a family. Bond also wrote culinary mystery stories for adults featuring Monsieur Pamplemousse and his faithful bloodhound, Pommes Frites.Starting rumours, making up tall tales (which I truly didn't like and I was dreading them when they popped up), thinking she is so much more superior to anyone (and bragging about it), and much much more.

For further information about your statutory rights, contact your local authority Trading Standards department or consumer advice center (for example the Citizen's Advice Bureau if you are in the UK). From the start it is clear that the stories comprise not only fantasy, but also accurate observation about how guinea pigs behave, and are cared for.

Although they are not always sure whether to believe everything Olga says, one thing is certain-since Olga moved in, life is never dull! The only thing I had against it was that each chapter was like a short story without any over-arching plot so it didn’t really go anyway - my daughter wasn’t at all bothered by this though! Gurney specialised in the treatment of guinea pigs, and treated Bond's guinea pig who was the inspiration for Olga. Olga da Polga , a guinea pig has more tales to tell in a day than me, This story is both adventurous and funny.

His excellent book, "The Proper Care of Guinea Pigs" is the benchmark for owners and breeders, and also some vets. Michael Bond: 'Paddington stands up for things, he's not afraid of going to the top and giving them a hard stare' ". This is not intended to be a full statement of all your rights under the Distance Selling Regulations.Our team is made up of book lovers who are dedicated to sourcing and providing the best books for kids. In 2022, the BBC commissioned 13 episodes of a live-action TV series of Olga da Polga for CBeebies, featuring Julie Wilson Nimmo and Greg Hemphill. He is sceptical of Olga's Baron Münchhausen-like tales, claiming not to believe them, but he still often listens to them with great attention. But the best bits are where she holds the other animals in awe as they gather around and listen to her tall tales. The character of Olga da Polga is herself based on a guinea pig belonging to Michael Bond's daughter Karen.

Applicability of cancellation rights: Legal rights of cancellation under the Distance Selling Regulations available for UK or EU consumers do not apply to certain products and services.I liked that we got to see two sides of her personality, her adventurous side, and her more vulnerable side. His illustrations are still strongly associated with Olga, although later editions have used different imagery including artwork by Catherine Rayner for Usborne. First of all she finds a strange jigsaw puzzle that looks good enough to eat, and then she discovers a mysterious visitor in the garden who thinks that she looks good enough to eat!