Biographical Info
Roald Dahl was born in Llandaff, South Wales on September 13, 1916 of Norwegian parents. His early schooling began at Llandaff Cathedral School, where he received beatings for being a class clown and practical joker. After receiving a beating from on of his teachers for a practical joke he made, Dahl’s mother decided to send him to St. Peters Boarding School.
His time at St. Peters was short lived much like his schooling at Lladaff Catherdral, and he soon transferred to Repton, a school known for its academic excellence. Much like Llandaff, Dahl resented the rules and structure and was restless for adventure and imagination. Although Dahl was not interested in school, his mother urged him to continue educating himself, offering to pay for his tuition to Oxford or Cambridge University. Dahl, as quoted in his autobiography Boy: Tales of Childhood said, “No thank you. I want to go straight from school to work for a company that will send me to wonderful faraway places like Africa or China."
His time at St. Peters was short lived much like his schooling at Lladaff Catherdral, and he soon transferred to Repton, a school known for its academic excellence. Much like Llandaff, Dahl resented the rules and structure and was restless for adventure and imagination. Although Dahl was not interested in school, his mother urged him to continue educating himself, offering to pay for his tuition to Oxford or Cambridge University. Dahl, as quoted in his autobiography Boy: Tales of Childhood said, “No thank you. I want to go straight from school to work for a company that will send me to wonderful faraway places like Africa or China."
“Not all memories of Repton were bad, though. Dahl fondly recalls in Boy that "every now and again, a plain grey cardboard box was dished out to each boy in our House, and this, believe it or not, was a present from the great chocolate manufacturers, Cadbury”. Inside were twelve new chocolate bar inventions that the boys were asked to sample and critique. Dahl and his schoolmates took this very seriously, and Roald used to dream of working in a chocolate company's inventing room.”
After graduating from Repton in 1932, Dahl had the chance to take his first adventure ever, something he’d dreamed of time and time before. His first adventure took in to Newfoundland and shortly after, he took a job with Shell Oil Company in Tanzania, Africa, where he continued to live until 1939. But Dahl craved more adventure and soon joined the Royal Air Force where he trained in Nairobi, Kenya, eventually becoming a World War II pilot. After crash landing his plane in Alexandria, Egypt, Dahl was forced to recover, including a hip replacement and two spinal surgeries. Unable to fly, Dahl moved to Washington, DC to become an assistant air attaché.
After graduating from Repton in 1932, Dahl had the chance to take his first adventure ever, something he’d dreamed of time and time before. His first adventure took in to Newfoundland and shortly after, he took a job with Shell Oil Company in Tanzania, Africa, where he continued to live until 1939. But Dahl craved more adventure and soon joined the Royal Air Force where he trained in Nairobi, Kenya, eventually becoming a World War II pilot. After crash landing his plane in Alexandria, Egypt, Dahl was forced to recover, including a hip replacement and two spinal surgeries. Unable to fly, Dahl moved to Washington, DC to become an assistant air attaché.
During his time in D.C., Dahl met author C.S. Forrestor who told him to start writing. Eventually Dahl ended up publishing his first short story in the Saturday Evening Post and in time began writing for The New Yorker. It wasn’t until 1942, that Dahl wrote his first children’s story, which was soon picked up by Disney. Dahl’s The Gremlins was never highly successful but it began his path to writing a plethora of other children’s classics, including James and the Giant Peach, in 1961, which established himself as a children’s writer. The book found great success and critical acclaim.
Three years later, Dahl published another big winner, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a story about his thoughts of being in candy production from his days at Repton. In addition to James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dahl's most popular kids' books include Fantastic Fox (1970), The Witches (1983) and Matilda (1988). Despite their popularity, Dahl’s children’s books have been the subject of some controversy, as critics and parents have balked at their portrayal of children’s harsh revenge on adult wrongdoers. In his defense, Dahl claimed that children have a cruder sense of humor than adults, and that he was merely trying to appeal to his readers.
Three years later, Dahl published another big winner, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a story about his thoughts of being in candy production from his days at Repton. In addition to James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dahl's most popular kids' books include Fantastic Fox (1970), The Witches (1983) and Matilda (1988). Despite their popularity, Dahl’s children’s books have been the subject of some controversy, as critics and parents have balked at their portrayal of children’s harsh revenge on adult wrongdoers. In his defense, Dahl claimed that children have a cruder sense of humor than adults, and that he was merely trying to appeal to his readers.
After years of success as a children’s author, Dahl fell sick of an unexpected infection on November 23, 1990 at the age of 74. He left behind 19 children’s books and nine short story collections, for children to enjoy for centuries to come.
Sources:
http://www.biography.com/people/roald-dahl-9264648#awesm=~oCGes8ib1IA7Jb
http://www.roalddahlfans.com/mydahlbio.php
Sources:
http://www.biography.com/people/roald-dahl-9264648#awesm=~oCGes8ib1IA7Jb
http://www.roalddahlfans.com/mydahlbio.php
Children's Fiction
The Gremlins
James and the Giant Peach
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The Magic Finger
Fantastic Mr Fox
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
Danny, the Champion of the World
The Enormous Crocodile
The Twits
George’s Marvellous Medicine
The BFG
The Witches
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me
Matilda
Esio Trot
The Vicar of Nibbleswicke
The Minpins
Source: http://primaryfacts.com/1814/how-many-books-did-roald-dahl-write/
James and the Giant Peach
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The Magic Finger
Fantastic Mr Fox
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
Danny, the Champion of the World
The Enormous Crocodile
The Twits
George’s Marvellous Medicine
The BFG
The Witches
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me
Matilda
Esio Trot
The Vicar of Nibbleswicke
The Minpins
Source: http://primaryfacts.com/1814/how-many-books-did-roald-dahl-write/
Children's Poetry
Revolting Rhymes
Dirty Beasts
Rhyme Stew
Source: http://primaryfacts.com/1814/how-many-books-did-roald-dahl-write/
Dirty Beasts
Rhyme Stew
Source: http://primaryfacts.com/1814/how-many-books-did-roald-dahl-write/
Novels for Adults
Sometime Never: A Fable for Supermen
My Uncle Oswald
Source: http://primaryfacts.com/1814/how-many-books-did-roald-dahl-write/
Short Stories
Over to You: Ten Stories of Flyers and Flying
Someone Like You
Lamb to the Slaughter
Kiss Kiss
Twenty-Nine Kisses from Roald Dahl
Switch Bitch
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More
The Best of Roald Dahl
Tales of the Unexpected
More Tales of the Unexpected
Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories
The Roald Dahl Omnibus
Two Fables
Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life: The Country Stories of Roald Dahl
The Collected Short Stories of Roald Dahl
The Roald Dahl Treasury
The Great Automatic Grammatizator
Skin and Other Stories
Roald Dahl Collected Stories
Source: http://primaryfacts.com/1814/how-many-books-did-roald-dahl-write/
Someone Like You
Lamb to the Slaughter
Kiss Kiss
Twenty-Nine Kisses from Roald Dahl
Switch Bitch
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More
The Best of Roald Dahl
Tales of the Unexpected
More Tales of the Unexpected
Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories
The Roald Dahl Omnibus
Two Fables
Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life: The Country Stories of Roald Dahl
The Collected Short Stories of Roald Dahl
The Roald Dahl Treasury
The Great Automatic Grammatizator
Skin and Other Stories
Roald Dahl Collected Stories
Source: http://primaryfacts.com/1814/how-many-books-did-roald-dahl-write/
Non-Fiction
The Mildenhall Treasure
Boy: Tales of Childhood
Going Solo
Measles, a Dangerous Illness
Memories with Food at Gipsy House
Roald Dahl’s Guide to Railway Safety
My Year
Source: http://primaryfacts.com/1814/how-many-books-did-roald-dahl-write/
Boy: Tales of Childhood
Going Solo
Measles, a Dangerous Illness
Memories with Food at Gipsy House
Roald Dahl’s Guide to Railway Safety
My Year
Source: http://primaryfacts.com/1814/how-many-books-did-roald-dahl-write/
Awards
Click here to see a list of awards won by Roald Dahl and other helpful resources provided by his fans.
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Resources for Teachers
Above is a video and ticket information for Broadway's newest musical based on the Roald Dahl classic Matilda.
This page features Roald Dahl lesson plans and classroom ideas. They're organized by topic, with general education and Dahl resources f irst, books next, and shortstories last.
http://www.youtube.com/user/KillerAudiobook
This link will provide teachers and students with audio book readings of Roald Dahl's books like the one found below.
- http://www.roalddahl.com/create-and-learn/teach
This site is the official site of Roald Dahl. When using this link, teacher will gain access to Dahl's full site along with activities such as live Skype education programs that take place at the Roald Dahl Museum.
This page features Roald Dahl lesson plans and classroom ideas. They're organized by topic, with general education and Dahl resources f irst, books next, and shortstories last.
http://www.youtube.com/user/KillerAudiobook
This link will provide teachers and students with audio book readings of Roald Dahl's books like the one found below.
This page is organized by each of Roald Dahl's stories and provides teachers with ways to incorporate Roald Dahl's stories into all subject areas f the classroom, including art, history, science, math, and even music.
This link is another link that provides teachers and students with activities for various Roald Dahl books.
Books and Activities for Author Study
Matilda
Matilda is a bright little girl who is very eager to learn. Eventually, her insensitive parents send her to a school run by Miss (The) Trunchbull. She is a cruel authoritarian that loathes children. Matilda befriends her school teacher, Miss Honey. She soon realizes Matilda's talents, but is later amazed to see the full extent of Matilda's powers.
Click here for audiobook reading of Matilda.
Literacy: Miss Honey doesn't have much success when she tries to talk to Matilda's parents about her talents. Could you write a letter from Miss Honey to the parents explaining what she was trying to tell them? Persuade Matilda's parents to take Miss Honey's words to heart.
Math: Can you solve the Maths problems that Mr. Wormwood sets for his son in Chapter 5?
Science: Mr Wormwood gets a hat stuck on his head with Superglue. Find out about glue and how it works. Investigate different types of glue and the materials that they are best for sticking together.
Art: Read the descriptions of Miss Honey and Miss Trunchbull in Chapter 7. Use these to try and draw or paint pictures of them. Draw an illustration of Miss Honey's cottage, using the description in the book.
History: Miss Honey describes Matilda as a 'genius'. Find out about other people who have been called a 'genius' throughout history. What were they famous for? What did they achieve in their lives?
Matilda is a bright little girl who is very eager to learn. Eventually, her insensitive parents send her to a school run by Miss (The) Trunchbull. She is a cruel authoritarian that loathes children. Matilda befriends her school teacher, Miss Honey. She soon realizes Matilda's talents, but is later amazed to see the full extent of Matilda's powers.
Click here for audiobook reading of Matilda.
Literacy: Miss Honey doesn't have much success when she tries to talk to Matilda's parents about her talents. Could you write a letter from Miss Honey to the parents explaining what she was trying to tell them? Persuade Matilda's parents to take Miss Honey's words to heart.
Math: Can you solve the Maths problems that Mr. Wormwood sets for his son in Chapter 5?
Science: Mr Wormwood gets a hat stuck on his head with Superglue. Find out about glue and how it works. Investigate different types of glue and the materials that they are best for sticking together.
Art: Read the descriptions of Miss Honey and Miss Trunchbull in Chapter 7. Use these to try and draw or paint pictures of them. Draw an illustration of Miss Honey's cottage, using the description in the book.
History: Miss Honey describes Matilda as a 'genius'. Find out about other people who have been called a 'genius' throughout history. What were they famous for? What did they achieve in their lives?
James and The Giant Peach
James' happy life at the English seaside is rudely ended when his parents are killed by a rhinoceros and he goes to live with his two horrid aunts. Daringly saving the life of a spider he comes into possession of magic boiled crocodile tongues, after which an enormous peach starts to grow in the garden. Venturing inside he meets not only the spider but a number of new friends including a ladybug and a centipede who help him with his plan to try and get to New York.
Click here for audiobook reading of James and the Giant Peach.
Literacy: Write a newspaper report about the peach's journey across the countryside.
Math: Measure the height / circumference of a normal peach. What might the height and circumference of the giant peach be?
Science: What forces are involved when the peach starts to roll down the hill. Can you plan and carry out an investigation to find different types of surfaces that might make it roll more quickly / slowly?
Art: Create a timeline showing the main events of the story.
Geography: Look on a map and find some locations that could be used for a new film version of the book. What would be a suitable location for Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker's house?
James' happy life at the English seaside is rudely ended when his parents are killed by a rhinoceros and he goes to live with his two horrid aunts. Daringly saving the life of a spider he comes into possession of magic boiled crocodile tongues, after which an enormous peach starts to grow in the garden. Venturing inside he meets not only the spider but a number of new friends including a ladybug and a centipede who help him with his plan to try and get to New York.
Click here for audiobook reading of James and the Giant Peach.
Literacy: Write a newspaper report about the peach's journey across the countryside.
Math: Measure the height / circumference of a normal peach. What might the height and circumference of the giant peach be?
Science: What forces are involved when the peach starts to roll down the hill. Can you plan and carry out an investigation to find different types of surfaces that might make it roll more quickly / slowly?
Art: Create a timeline showing the main events of the story.
Geography: Look on a map and find some locations that could be used for a new film version of the book. What would be a suitable location for Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker's house?
Fantastic Mr Fox
Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl is a story about three farmers and a clever fox. The farmers names were Boggis, Bunce, and Beans; one fat, one short, one lean. Mr. Fox was always stealing from the farmers to feed his wife and three young cubs. As they were starving when food became scarce, Mr. Fox figures out that all they have to do is dig to get to food for survival. The farmers tried their best to set traps for Mr. Fox, but he was too clever to be caught. Together with the Beaver, Mole, and Rabbit families, Mr. Fox digs faster than the farmers. They get to the promised land where all the work of the farmers was kept. They found the key to their survival and also escaped being captured from the farmers.
Click here for audiobook reading of Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Literacy: Look at the illustrations of the characters at the start of the book. Can you write a character profile about each one? What are their personalities like? What have been the most interesting events in their lives so far?
Math: Look on a map for a forest and a farm in your local area. What is the distance between them? How far would Mr. Fox and his children have to dig to travel from one to the other? Can you convert this amount into different units of measurement?
Science: Mr Fox used his sense of smell to avoid being caught. Find out about the different senses that people have.
Geography: Draw a map which shows the wood, the farms and the underground tunnels that Mr Fox digs.
Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl is a story about three farmers and a clever fox. The farmers names were Boggis, Bunce, and Beans; one fat, one short, one lean. Mr. Fox was always stealing from the farmers to feed his wife and three young cubs. As they were starving when food became scarce, Mr. Fox figures out that all they have to do is dig to get to food for survival. The farmers tried their best to set traps for Mr. Fox, but he was too clever to be caught. Together with the Beaver, Mole, and Rabbit families, Mr. Fox digs faster than the farmers. They get to the promised land where all the work of the farmers was kept. They found the key to their survival and also escaped being captured from the farmers.
Click here for audiobook reading of Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Literacy: Look at the illustrations of the characters at the start of the book. Can you write a character profile about each one? What are their personalities like? What have been the most interesting events in their lives so far?
Math: Look on a map for a forest and a farm in your local area. What is the distance between them? How far would Mr. Fox and his children have to dig to travel from one to the other? Can you convert this amount into different units of measurement?
Science: Mr Fox used his sense of smell to avoid being caught. Find out about the different senses that people have.
Geography: Draw a map which shows the wood, the farms and the underground tunnels that Mr Fox digs.
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!
Click here for audiobook reading of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.
Literacy: Willy Wonka warns the children not to get lost when they first enter the Chocolate Factory. Imagine that one of them does wander off where they shouldn't. What might they discover?
Math: Look at a selection of chocolate bars and sweet packets. Find out how much they weigh. Put the items in order, from the lightest to the heaviest.
Science: Willy Wonka 'invented a way of making chocolate ice cream so that it stays cold for hours and hours without being in the refrigerator.' Could you investigate the best insulators to keep a pack of chocolate ice cream cold?
History: Draw a family tree which shows the members of Charlie Bucket's family.
Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!
Click here for audiobook reading of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.
Literacy: Willy Wonka warns the children not to get lost when they first enter the Chocolate Factory. Imagine that one of them does wander off where they shouldn't. What might they discover?
Math: Look at a selection of chocolate bars and sweet packets. Find out how much they weigh. Put the items in order, from the lightest to the heaviest.
Science: Willy Wonka 'invented a way of making chocolate ice cream so that it stays cold for hours and hours without being in the refrigerator.' Could you investigate the best insulators to keep a pack of chocolate ice cream cold?
History: Draw a family tree which shows the members of Charlie Bucket's family.
The BFG
The BFG or in other words, The Big Friendly Giant, takes Sphie from her orphanage one night in this story. She is afraid he will eat her, but he is not a man-eating giant like the other giants. He eats yucky vegetables. The BFG’s main thing is catching dreams and blowing them into children’s bedrooms at night. Sophie works with BFG to devise a dream to tell the queen about the other mean giants that are eating people. Then, the queen then gets the military to capture the other giants while they are sleeping and take them to exile. There they have to stay in a huge pit and eat the yucky vegetables like the BFG eats. The BFG gets a big house and Sophie gets a little cottage beside him in the end.
Click here for audiobook reading of BFG.
Literacy: Roald Dahl uses lots of similes to describe the BFG ('an arm as thick as a tree trunk', and 'nose as sharp as a knife'). Can you make up some more?
Math: Think about the measurements that we might use to work out how tall the BFG is. How could we measure how long his stride is?
Art: Make a picture which shows the inside of the BFG's suitcase after he has been dream-catching.
Geography: Draw a map showing the locations in the story, e.g. the orphanage, the village street where Sophie first sees the BFG, Giant Country, Buckingham Palace.
The BFG or in other words, The Big Friendly Giant, takes Sphie from her orphanage one night in this story. She is afraid he will eat her, but he is not a man-eating giant like the other giants. He eats yucky vegetables. The BFG’s main thing is catching dreams and blowing them into children’s bedrooms at night. Sophie works with BFG to devise a dream to tell the queen about the other mean giants that are eating people. Then, the queen then gets the military to capture the other giants while they are sleeping and take them to exile. There they have to stay in a huge pit and eat the yucky vegetables like the BFG eats. The BFG gets a big house and Sophie gets a little cottage beside him in the end.
Click here for audiobook reading of BFG.
Literacy: Roald Dahl uses lots of similes to describe the BFG ('an arm as thick as a tree trunk', and 'nose as sharp as a knife'). Can you make up some more?
Math: Think about the measurements that we might use to work out how tall the BFG is. How could we measure how long his stride is?
Art: Make a picture which shows the inside of the BFG's suitcase after he has been dream-catching.
Geography: Draw a map showing the locations in the story, e.g. the orphanage, the village street where Sophie first sees the BFG, Giant Country, Buckingham Palace.