Roald Dahl An author presentation by Jordan Smith

Roald Dahl An author presentation by: Ø Jordan Smith Ø Kerra Trivieri LIS 534

Biography 1916 -1990 Born in Llandaff, Wales Graduated from a British public school in 1932 Did not seek further education Enlisted in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during WWII as a fighter pilot First book was The Gremlins, 1932 Written for Walt Disney

Biography, continued Dahl’s first publication was featured in The Saturday Evening Post He wrote about his adventures during the war The last novel he wrote before he died was Matilda in 1988

“Welcome to the World of Roald Dahl” Official website is kid-friendly and fun Uses music, sound effects, and movement to capture Roald Dahl’s favorite audience: children! Also contains resources for education professionals http: //www. roalddahl. com/

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Arguably one of Dahl’s most famous and beloved stories A poor boy named Charlie wins the opportunity of a lifetime when he finds Mr. Wonka’s 5 th Golden Ticket Charlie tours the chocolate factory with other children from around the world

Why children should read it Dahl plays around with words, invents new ones Entertaining and humorous Keeps the reader engaged with a fast-moving plot There is an underlying theme that well-behaved children are rewarded Repercussions for disobedience are exemplified via Veruca Salt, Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, and Mike Teavee

Movie adaptation A scene from the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=q 3 n V 6 Wq. A 4 Y 0&feature=related

Fantastic Mr. Fox Borris, Boggis, and Bunce grow impatient when Mr. Fox continues to steal their food supplies Mr. Fox and his family are hunted down They must work together with other animals to outsmart the 3 farmers

Why children should read it Good use of animation and imagination Humanizes animals Underlying lesson of using ones wits to outsmart your enemies, rather than violence A touching story that is also about family, coming together, and never giving up “‘What fine children I have, he thought. They are starving to death and they haven’t had a drink for three days, but they are still undefeated. I must not let them down. ’” – Mr. Fox

Movie adaptation Fantastic Mr. Fox was made into an animated film and released in the fall of 2009 http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=n 2 i gj. YFoj. Uo

The Witches Narrated by a young boy who lives with his grandmother She tells him true stories about witches who live to kill children The boy encounters the Grand High Witch and many others The boy and his grandmother plot to destroy all the witches in the world

Why children should read it Dahl portrays the relationship between the boy and his grandmother beautifully This author once again proves his ability to entertain readers with his humorous and outrageous language Towards the end of the book, the boys tells his grandmother, “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like so long as somebody loves you. ” Positive message for children

Movie adaptation 1990 Starring Angelica Houston http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=8 k 0 Li 3 BPTg. Q&feature=related

Roald Dahl under critical review Dahl’s work has been criticized for being too “sophisticated” Does not teach values Ex. ) witches trying to kill children His books allow children to view adults as the enemy Dahl himself has been accused of being anti-Semitic and racist

“When you’re writing it’s rather like going on a very long walk, across valleys and mountains and things, and you get the first view of what you see and you write it down. Then you walk a bit further, maybe up on to the top of a hill, and you look down and you see something else , then you write that. And you go on like that, day after day, getting different views of the same landscape, really. The highest mountain on the walk is obviously the end of the book because it’s got to be the best view of all, when everything comes together. And you can look back and see everything you’ve done and it all ties up. ” – Roald Dahl

Works Cited (1994). A grimm Dahl. Wilson Quarterly, 18(2), 139. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Dahl, R. (1964). Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Junior Deluxe Edition ed. ). Garden City: Junior Deluxe Editions. Dahl, R. (2007). Fantastic Mr. Fox. New York City: Puffin. (Original work published 1970) Roald Dahl - The Official Web Site. (n. d. ). Roald Dahl The Official Web Site. Retrieved February 25, 2010, from http: //www. roalddahl. com/ Dahl, R. (1983). The Witches. New York: Scholastic. Roald Dahl Biography - Biography. com. (n. d. ). Biography. com. Retrieved February 25, 2010, from http: //www. biography. com/articles/Roald-Dahl-9264648.

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