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Fantastic Mr Fox

Roald Dahl

In the tradition of The Adventures of Peter Rabbit, this is a "garden tale" of farmer versus vermin, or vice versa. The farmers in this case are a vaguely criminal team of three stooges: "Boggis and Bunce and Bean / One fat, one short, one lean. / These horrible crooks / So different in looks / Were nonetheless equally mean." Whatever their prowess as poultry farmers, within these pages their sole objective is the extermination of our hero--the noble, the clever, the Fantastic Mr. Fox. Our loyalties are defined from the start; after all, how could you cheer for a man named Bunce who eats his doughnuts stuffed with mashed goose livers? As one might expect, the farmers in this story come out smelling like...well, what farmers occasionally do smell like.
This early Roald Dahl adventure is great for reading aloud to three- to seven-year-olds, who will be delighted to hear that Mr. Fox keeps his family one step ahead of the obsessed farmers. When they try to dig him out, he digs faster; when they lay siege to his den, he tunnels to where the farmers least expect him--their own larders! In the end, Mr. Fox not only survives, but also helps the whole community of burrowing creatures live happily ever after. With his usual flourish, Dahl evokes a magical animal world that, as children, we always knew existed, had we only known where or how to look for it. (Great read aloud for any age; written at a 9- to 12-year-old reading level) --Amazon.com
Roald Dahl's Scrumdidlyumptious Story Collection

Roald Dahl
Horrible Histories Annual, 2009 (Horrible Histories) (Horrible Histories) (Horrible Histories) (Horrible Histories)

Terry Deary
Four Favourite Stories

Roald Dahl
The BFG

Roald Dahl

Evidently not even Roald Dahl could resist the acronym craze of the early eighties. BFG? Bellowing ferret-faced golfer? Backstabbing fairy godmother? Oh, oh... Big Friendly Giant! This BFG doesn't seem all that F at first as he creeps down a London street, snatches little Sophie out of her bed, and bounds away with her to giant land. And he's not really all that B when compared with his evil, carnivorous brethren, who bully him for being such an oddball runt. After all, he eats only disgusting snozzcumbers, and while the other Gs are snacking on little boys and girls, he's blowing happy dreams in through their windows. What kind of way is that for a G to behave?
The BFG is one of Dahl's most lovable character creations. Whether galloping off with Sophie nestled into the soft skin of his ear to capture dreams as though they were exotic butterflies; speaking his delightful, jumbled, squib-fangled patois; or whizzpopping for the Queen, he leaves an indelible impression of bigheartedness. (Ages 9 to 12) --Susan Harrison
The Magic Finger

Roald Dahl
Blood-curdling Box

Terry Deary
George's Marvellous Medicine

Roald Dahl
The Twits

Roald Dahl
The Witches

Roald Dahl
Revolting Rhymes

Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Roald Dahl
Danny the Champion of the World

Roald Dahl
Boy: Tales of Childhood

Roald Dahl
James and the Giant Peach

Roald Dahl
Matilda

Roald Dahl
Dirty Beasts (Picture Puffins)

Roald Dahl
The Enormous Crocodile

Roald Dahl
The Terrible Tudors (Horrible Histories) (Horrible Histories) (Horrible Histories)

Terry Deary
The Twits

Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl has such an unusual first name due to fact that his parents spelt his name wrong on the Register of Births. From this non-literary background came one of the masters of children's literature.
The Twits is one of his many successful and highly entertaining books. The Twits are a couple that nobody would like to know. They are hairy, dirty, smelly and generally unpleasant. Roald Dahl's characters are possibly the most horrid people you will ever read about. Mr and Mrs Twit spend their days inventing new ways to be be nasty to each other. Each time Mrs Twit does something bad to Mr Twit, he just invents something worse to do to her. The Twits are not only unpleasant towards each other but they also hate animals. It is because of the Twits' attitude towards animals that we see their really awful side: Mr Twit keeps a family of monkeys that have to spend their days upside down and Mrs Twit likes to make pies with freshly caught birds.
Dahl's story, as is characteristic with all his books, has a happy ending. Only how will the animals beat the Twits? --Jon Smith