Roald Dahl
Born in 1916, Roald Dahl was one of the best loved children's authors in the world, making up a healthy chunk of the children's literature canon. He was also a pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II, and briefly worked in espionage with the likes of Ian Fleming. But we're here to talk about his writing, in which he got his start through writing about crashing his plane when it ran out of fuel. His death in 1990 marked the end of the era in children's fiction.
What to Expect
Dark humor is a Dahl staple. Considered his most wellappropriate punishments, like the television obsessee getting shrunk due to television transmissions. A frequent topic in Dahl's works is the sometimes over the top evilness of adults. Ms. Trunchbull from ''Matilda'' or The Grand High Witch from ''The Witches'' are both wildly villainous characters, hurling children out windows and turning them into mice, respectively. Outcast or lonely characters, sumptuous descriptions of food, short poems or songs, and fantastic things happening in the real world also make frequent appearances in his work.
Some parents may be uneasy exposing their children to this and should use their best judgment, but it can be good for kids to imagine their least favorite adult really is that evil, and ultimately, possible to defeat. It's cathartic fun, best suited to ages 7Dr Seuss set.
Popular Works
Some of Dahl's more well-known children's works include:
* ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory''
* ''Charlie and the Glass Elevator''
* ''Matilda''
* ''James and the Giant Peach''
* ''The Fantasic Mr. Fox''
* ''The Witches''
* ''The BFG''
* ''The Twits''
With the exception of Charlie and the Glass elevator, all of these works have been adapted into films. More devoted young readers may also find, amongst his many other works:
* ''Esio Trot''
* ''George's Marvellous Medicine''
* ''Danny, the Champion of the World''
* ''Rhyme Stew''
Adult Works
While Dahl's most well known works are intended for children, he also wrote for a more mature audience. His adult works exhibit the same dark humor; one story, "Skin", has a man try to sell the tattoo off his own back at an art gallery. An anthology of his stories became the show ''Tales of the Unexpected'', similar to the ''Twilight Zone''. His short works can be found in numerous anthologies, the most complete being ''Roald Dahl: Collected Stories''. His partial autobiography,'' BoyTales of Childhood'', is a great way to bridge the gap between young and old readers, and can also serve as a coming of age story.
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