13th September Roald Dahl Day

Roald Dahl Day is celebrated annually on his birthday, to honour the author and his contribution to children's literature. Roald Dahl’s imagination was incredible and the legacy of his children’s books has been in the staple reading diet for many of us. Not only that, the adventures of his infamous characters, and the unique tone of his narration have often served as an excellent gateway into reading. Dahl is still very popular and some critics wonder why.

As such, it can be challenging when children run out of the different Dahl titles to know what to read next. The things Dahl did:

• dark humour, slightly wicked

• laugh-out-loud (hilarious)

• adventures

• relatable child characters

• villainous adults

• invented words

• not sentimental

But, he was a product of the time he wrote in and some readers now are very critical of some aspects of his books. Some of his novels have been edited more recently to remove words, phrases and sentiments readers might find upsetting.

Personally I'm not in favour of this. I prefer to teach children that what was acceptable when the book was written is different from what is acceptable now. Yes, Dahl was racist, a misogynist, and created stereotypical characters, but when you come upon  examples use them as teachable moments.

Dahl's books are still being recommended for English study. The NSW English units use three of Dahl's titles. I had the pleasure of The Twits with Year 2 students. It is the book together with Fantastic Mister Fox  which I like least probably because these are the most sexist of his books. Mr Twit might be disgusting, but the words used for Mrs Twit historically and meaning-wise often only pertain to woman so this is the place to look very closely at language. Mrs Twit is described as ugly, mean, cruel and nasty. She is called a hag, a word only used to describe a woman. Neither Mr Twit or Mrs Twit are particularly considerate of each other and that and all the tricks they play on each other is what makes the children laugh.

Many parents who read Roald Dahl books to their children question the guns and language of Fantastic Mister Fox, but they still read it. 

Most of Dahl's books are suggested as reading for 7 plus, yet many of the students I teach have had them read to them before then, because their parents remember loving them. They then move on to David Walliams' books because they have been recommended to them. Yes, Walliams is a huge fan of Roald Dahl, but his writing and imagination are not Dahl's. Walliams should also be considered a product of his time which is now, so his books shouldn't be coming under fire because they are considered racist or misogynist, but they are. Also his most recent books have become quite thick and wordy, so are they really for seven year olds. Children need to learn what it is appropriate to laugh at. Fat-shaming, ridicule of single parent families and targeting the working class are not things that should be making us laugh.

So what do I recommend to my young readers who have read all the Roald Dahl books and who are looking for their next outrageously hilarious, yet slightly wicked tale? 

First up , many that are recommended online and which do seem to meet the brief are for  older students and are not in the Prep  library. Books such as 

• The Beast and the Bethany  by Jack Meggitt-Phillips

• Grandpa Frank's Great Big Bucket List  by Jenny Pearson

• The Great Chocoplot  by Chris Callaghan

• Holly Hopkinson  by Charlie P. Brooks

• The Exploding Life of Scarlett Fife by Maz Evans

• Nooks and Crannies  by Jessica Lawson

Others that we do have:

• Mr Gum  by Andy Stanton

• Grimwood  by Nadia Shireen

• Wigglesbottom Primary  by Pamela Butchart

• Buckle and Squash  by Sarah Courtauld

• A Series of Unfortunate Events  by Lemony Snicket

• Wayside School  by Louis Sachar