Roald Dahl Day

“So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,

Go throw your TV set away,

And in its place you can install

A lovely bookshelf on the wall”

― Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

September 13 was Roald Dahl Day (Happy Birthday, Mr Dahl!), and although I’m a couple of days late, I couldn’t let it pass by without a mention.

I feel exceedingly blessed to have grown up under the care of many English storytellers. Enid Blyton, A.A. Milne, Beatrix Potter, and of course, Roald Dahl each created fabulous, fantastical worlds for young imaginations to thrive in. Blyton and Dahl in particular were authors that bridged the gap between the years of Eric Hill (The Adventures of Spot) and Eric Carl (The Very Hungry Caterpillar), and the years when my reading turned almost exclusively to the Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley. These early and mid primary school years are primed for spectacular stories filled with villains and heroes, danger and adventure, superpowers and magic potions, and just enough delicious gore to feel delighted and grossed out. Roald Dahl could be especially revolting, and my 8 year old self considers this high praise.

As a child I was given plenty of liberty to engage with as many books as I possibly could (although perhaps I devoured even more than my parents knew, reading with a flashlight under the covers long after “lights out”), and my reading was very rarely censored. In fact, I only ever remember two books being off limits. One of these was Witches, by Roald Dahl. And actually, I’m not sure if I could read the book, but I know the movie was out of the question. Just recently we were remembering this; my mother staging a protest after hearing that my class would be watching the movie at school. I’m very proud of my Mum. Although I adore Roald Dahl, I don’t think my six year old self needed to watch Angelica Houston turn a little boy into a mouse. Maybe when I grow up I’ll be brave enough to watch it (during the day, with the lights on, with my husband to hold my hand). But despite this act of protest Roald Dahl is beloved in my heart, and I won’t hesitate to add many of his works to our bookshelves.

In celebration of Roald Dahl Day here are my top 5 Roald Dahl books:

1. Matilda: A precocious young girl who loves to read and can move objects with her mind? Yes please!

2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: A fantasy for every chocolate lover!

3. The Twits: Especially loved by the daughter of a bearded Dad, although that's where the comparison ended.

4. Boy: Stories from Dahls childhood where unsurprisingly mischief and mayhem abound.

5. Revolting Rhymes: All the fairytales we thought we had grown out of, re-written with wicked, wonderful twists!

Thanks for all the wild stories, Mr Dahl. (And the iconic illustrations, Quentin Blake).