Art Friday: Roald Dahl


Happy birthday Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl was born on this day in 1916 in Cardiff, Wales to Norwegian parents.

What is your favourite Roald Dahl book?

Which books do your children enjoy reading/listening to?


Mine favourite book was always Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and this was also my children's favourite book, followed closely by Matilda and James and the Giant Peach.  We all loved the 1971 Gene Wilder adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate factory movie.  I wasn't as keen on the Johnny Depp version.

Dahl with his family

Did you know:
  • Dahl wrote all his children's stories in a hut at the bottom of his garden.
  • He was a Hurricane fighter pilot during WW2
  • He had 2 steel hips and 6 operations on his spine.
  • He wrote the screenplays for the James Bond movie "You only love twice" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"
  • He loved chocolate, but not chocolate cake or chocolate ice-cream.
  • He always wrote in pencil on yellow paper.
  • He did not start to write children's books until he had children of his own.
  • Dahl loved pets and had 3 dogs called Eva, Jelly and Chopper.
  • Dahl had 5 children, 4 girls and 1 boy: Olivia, Tessa, Theo, Ophelia and Lucy. Sadly Olivia died from measles when she was 7 years old.  He kept a photo of her in his writing hut so she was always near.

Dahl's writing hut
The author working in his hut

So true!!


Comments

  1. I have always liked the man but can't stand the books! They drive me insane ~ so much so I don't think I've ever finished one & I walk out on the movies too. I think the kids quite liked James & the Giant Peach ~ but not enough to reread or rewatch ~ & that's the criteria for a really good book around here. We don't buy stuff that won't be reread to bits.

    PS you wouldn't believe what the word verification was! editedto!

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    1. Edith Blyton use to drive me made and I would change the stories because she is terrible to read out loud. Which is funny as I loved the Faraway Tree as a child!

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  2. I've never read any of his books. But, we have enjoyed the movies. "Chitty..." (minus one very immodest scene) is one of our favorites. It makes sense that he started writing after having children. Children inspire so much creativity. Don't you think we learn and give more from teaching others.

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    1. Children make you see the world through new eyes. I work with a dad who has a little boy of 3 and I love to hear his day-to-day stories as he is so good at repeating his little boy's stories and they can be so funny.

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  3. Amazing man! Read all his books as a child and now my daughter loves his stories too.
    I agree that the johnny depp version of Charlie & Choc factory is not as good as the older version

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    1. I have read them in ages, but both my sons loved his stories. Its interesting to find out what these people got up to such as director a James Bond movie. Wouldn't never have guessed!

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