Fantasy

The Secret World of Og was one of my favourite childhood books. Unlike most of my other favourite books, I never owned a copy, but repeatedly borrowed it from the school library. (In fact, along with Alice in Wonderland and an entire shelf of books by Enid Blyton, it is one of the few books that I do remember from my elementary school library.) I've often thought of this book over the years, so I was delighted to come across a copy lately at a local thrift store.

Not all childhood books make for good re-reading, but this one does. It tells the story of how five siblings - Penny, Pam, Patsy, Peter, and their baby brother Paul (nicknamed "The Pollywog") - find a secret tunnel below their playhouse floor that leads to the world of Og. Og is a mushroom-filled land populated with small green people who seem to know only one word - "Og". The Pollywog (an adept escape artist) has gone missing and the four older siblings have to venture into the world of Og to find him.

It's a simple and thoroughly charming story that nevertheless avoids being too sweet. The children are occasionally disobedient, and all have very different personalities. There is at least one moment of real danger, and a good dose - but not too much - of humour. Some parts of this book even made me laugh out loud, something that I can say about very few books. I'm particularly fond of The Pollywog's escape abilities (which he was to forget later in life when "his mind was too crowded with other things, such as how to work out the square root of 925 and whether or not an agate was a good trade for three smokies"), and the family's cat and dog ("perhaps the smallest dog ever born"), who are both convinced that they are heroic sled dogs. That power of the imagination (and how it can change our lives) is perhaps the central theme of the book, from Penny imagining that she is the heroine Lucy Lawless to Peter feeling like an adult after being painted green and of course to the green people themselves.

While The Secret World of Og was first published in 1961, it does not feel dated. It was over 30 years old when I first read it and that never bothered me at all. I think it would still make good reading for a child today. I'm happy I was able to re-visit it and I look forward to re-reading it again in the future. ( )

My oldest sister used to read books to us (though we could read for ourselves, but she did some good voices and she enjoyed it and also she was the boss and I wasn't allowed to sleep in the bed we shared if I didn't do everything she said) and this was one that stood out. (Another was [b:Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone|20793940|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter #1, UK)|J.K. Rowling|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1392170199s/20793940.jpg|40132749], but that's another story.) Of course, what none of us realised at the time was that it was written by pre-eminent Canadian novelist [a:Pierre Berton|39616|Pierre Berton|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1335238924p2/39616.jpg]. There were always many of Berton's books on our shelves, my dad's reading, and never did I realise that I had read him too, far far earlier. ( )

A wonderful book, and my childhood favourite. It is the story of 5 children (inspired by Berton's own children). who set out on an adventure through the trap door of their playhouse. into a world of mushrooms and little green men who only say 'Og'. ( )

This book is one of my favourite childhood memories.... the independence of the Pollywog, the determination of the Berton siblings. I wanted to live in that little house of theirs soooo much, I practically ached with it. If you have children who love a good bit of 'the magic what if" or if there's a bit of that child still left in you, dig up a copy of this Canadian classic. ( )