Lots of people have been born on September 13. But there is one special man who was born on that most fantabulous of days, and he is famous for fantastic foxes, giant peaches and terrifying Trunchbulls. On September 13, 2016, Roald Dahl would have been 100 years old.
To commemorate this splendiferous day, booksellers are publishing special books that any Roald Dahl fan would love. Puffin Books has re-released many of Dahl’s classics, including Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and James and the Giant Peach, with beautiful new covers in honor of the author’s centennial. It’s a perfect opportunity to introduce young children to the wonderful (or as the BFG would say, wondercrump!) world of Roald Dahl.
Dahl’s stories are filled with some of the most wonderful invented language, including maggotwise (something rotten or disgusting), gigantuous (huge and enormous), and gobblefunk (to play around with something). Some have even crossed over to our lexicon – scrumdiddlyumptious was originally used to describe all of Willy Wonka’s creations! Oxford University Press has worked for the last five years to create the official Roald Dahl Dictionary. Dahl’s illustrator and friend Quentin Blake worked with lexicographer Susan Rennie to create the dictionary of almost 8,000 words. Many are regular words that appear in every dictionary, though all have a quote from one of Dahl’s works with the entry. The dictionary is colorful and full of interesting facts and tips.
Whether you grew up dreaming of being Matilda or Danny, the Champion of the World, you and your family will enjoy celebrating the birthday of the man who reminded us all that we are the music makers, and we are the dreamer of dreams.
To learn more, visit roalddahl.com!
