Olla-piska

Tales of David Douglas

Margaret J. Anderson

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• Published: 2006
• Subject Listing: Biography, Western History, Fiction
• Bibliographic information: 144 pp., 6 illus., 5.5 x 8.5 in.
• Territorial rights: World
• Distributed for: Oregon Historical Society
• Contents

Winner of the 2005 Stevens Literary Prize

"He was a quiet man, and he was a great one for writing." That's how young Sandy Ross first describes the great botanist and explorer David Douglas in this engagingnew historical novel. Grounded in meticulous research about Douglas and his travels through the Pacific Northwest in 1825-27, Olla-piska provides an account of Douglas and a description of what life was like for many different people in the region in the years after the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Douglas's student, Sandy, who has run away from home to join the Hudson's Bay Company, learns about the plants that Douglas methodically collected and identified for science. He befriends T'Catisa, the daughter of Chinook Chief Cockqua, and they spend time with Douglas as he explores a new landscape. Olla-piska is a good introduction for young people and adults alike to one of the most important scientists and explorers to visit the Columbia country.

Margaret J. Anderson lives in Corvallis, Oregon. She is the author of many books for children, including Henri Fabre's Insects and biographies of Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton.

Maps
Lessons from a Naturalist by Sandy Ross, Cabin Boy on the William and Ann
Traveling Companions by John Scouler, Ship's Doctor
We Call Him Olla-piska by T'Catisa, Chief Cockqua's Daughter
The Sugar Pine Quest by David Douglas, Botanist and Explorer
My Passenger on the Hudson's Bay Express by Edward Ermatinger, Fur Trader, Hudson's Bay Company
The End of the Trail by Joseph Hooker, Director of Kew Gardens
Author's Note
Recommended Reading
About the Author