Roald Dahl

branie · 11-05-2008 7:00pm #1

Anyone here read his books when they were kids?

Tabnabs · 11-05-2008 7:00pm

BFG, ah the happy memories.

Ruu_Old · 11-05-2008 7:03pm

Fantastic Mr.Fox and James and the Giant Peach.

11-05-2008 7:03pm

The Twits had me in stitches for a long long time.:D

Mint Sauce · 11-05-2008 7:07pm

BFG, the twits, danny champion of the world, etc

happy days

c - 13 · 11-05-2008 7:35pm

Still think that Georges marvelous medicine is one of my favorites.

I found his life stories (Boy and in particular Going Solo) tough enough reading though.

I should really consider reading some of his adult books actually. I'd love to see what theyre like.

trout · 11-05-2008 8:14pm

My kids are going through a Roald Dahl phase at the minute ... as a nipper, I had not realised how dark some of the stories are.

I was a big fan of "Tales of the Unexpected" too ... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075592/

stovelid · 11-05-2008 10:20pm

When you grow up and have children of your own do please remember something important: A stodgy parent is no fun at all. What a child wants and deserves is a parent who is SPARKY.

c - 13 · 12-05-2008 6:25am

trout wrote: »

My kids are going through a Roald Dahl phase at the minute ... as a nipper, I had not realised how dark some of the stories are.

I was a big fan of "Tales of the Unexpected" too ... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075592/

Was there another show like that called Stephen Kings Tales of the Unexpected ? I was a bit young to remember the Dahl one but I was full sure that there was a show with the same name associated with Stephen King but cant seem to find any information associated with it (It used to be on at 8PM on either RTE/NETWORK 2 on a SUnday night if that helps

)

Jesus Wept · 12-05-2008 6:30am

Deleted User wrote: »

The Twits had me in stitches for a long long time.:D

heh I remember seeing a play of The Twits up north, back in the day.

Predhead · 12-05-2008 6:37am

His kids books were great.

Read Fantastic Mr. Fox, BFG, Matilda, George's Marvellous Medicine, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach and of course The Twits. Loved every one of them!

trout · 12-05-2008 7:46am

c - 13 wrote: »

Was there another show like that called Stephen Kings Tales of the Unexpected ? I was a bit young to remember the Dahl one but I was full sure that there was a show with the same name associated with Stephen King but cant seem to find any information associated with it (It used to be on at 8PM on either RTE/NETWORK 2 on a SUnday night if that helps )

According to wikipedia there was a US version of the show, introduced by a chap called John Houseman.

Not sure if that's what you remember ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_the_Unexpected_%28TV_series%29

c - 13 · 12-05-2008 7:48am

I've been thinking about this but I think I may have been wrong - It might have been called Stephen Kings Amazing Stories or something like that ?

It may have been that, but I dont remember there being a narrator at the start of it ?

c - 13 · 12-05-2008 7:54am

Hah ! I found it, the reason I couldnt find anything was because it was "Stephen Speilberg's Amazing Stories"

Cheers for the help though.

Its available on DVD too, oh to order or not to order ....

bluedolphin · 12-05-2008 1:54pm

Favourite book ever (to this day) is Matilda. It's enchanting!

Seonad · 13-05-2008 12:34am

There hasnt been a children's author to match him. Excellent stories-read them all as a child. His adult short stories aren't too bad either:)

_blank_ · 13-05-2008 12:35pm

Seonad wrote: »

There hasnt been a children's author to match him. Excellent stories-read them all as a child.

Agreed.

Loved all of his books, and the illustrations too, Quentin Blake caught the atmosphere of the stories perfectly, imo.

Seonad wrote: »

His adult short stories aren't too bad either:)

Henry Sugar is a brilliant story. And there was another story in that book about a fella who rolled smokes.

Fantastic writer was Dahl.

mental07 · 13-05-2008 1:02pm

Brilliant books, brilliant author. He really brought the stories alive! My own favourite is The Witches - Formula 86 Delayed Action MouseMaker!!

Also, the illustration of the Grand High Witch frightened the sh*t out of me!!

_blank_ · 13-05-2008 1:22pm

mental07 wrote: »

Also, the illustration of the Grand High Witch frightened the sh*t out of me!!

seamus · 13-05-2008 1:25pm

c - 13 wrote: »

I found his life stories (Boy and in particular Going Solo) tough enough reading though.

Yep, absolutely incredible life though - the wealth of experiences. I'm sure they were all Dahl'd up to some extent, but even so. I remember being 12 or 13 reading them and thinking, "This guy just had the worst childhood ever!". Obviously it wasn't that bad, just a hell of a lot worse than mine

xzanti · 13-05-2008 2:28pm

My 3rd class teacher used to read us his books, my personal favourite was The Twits

mental07 · 15-05-2008 11:04pm

DesF wrote: »

It was more this one I was thinking of! :

rainbowtrout · 15-05-2008 11:40pm

read all of his books, loved them all, especially the twits, henry sugar collection, matilda

great stuff

gucci · 19-05-2008 2:31pm

Dont think anyone mentioned it but there was another great one called esio trot, where the guy made up a backwards rhyme to make his neighbours tortoise bigger in order to romance her!
My very first ever day of school I remember the teacher reading the start of BFG for us and I was hooked!!

Apparently he hated kids?

fonpokno · 20-05-2008 12:51am

bluedolphin wrote: »

Favourite book ever (to this day) is Matilda. It's enchanting!

+100000000000000000000

aww i wanted to be her! roald dahl is just amazing. i still read all his children's books, they're timeless.

chuci · 20-05-2008 6:53pm

esio trot was brilliant, the giraffe the peli and me was the first one that was read/bought for me loved it, that and the magic finger. i cried for the BFG made me so sad the film of that is brilliant. Georges marvellous medicine and fantastic mr fox were read over and over again could still nearly recite them. was it going solo he wrote about himself and growing up where he had to get his adenoids/ tonsils out brilliant. cant recommend a better writer for kids never been equalled.Quentin Blake was brilliant at capturing the stories too.

c - 13 · 21-05-2008 5:30am

chuci wrote: »

esio trot was brilliant, the giraffe the peli and me was the first one that was read/bought for me loved it, that and the magic finger. i cried for the BFG made me so sad the film of that is brilliant. Georges marvellous medicine and fantastic mr fox were read over and over again could still nearly recite them. was it going solo he wrote about himself and growing up where he had to get his adenoids/ tonsils out brilliant. cant recommend a better writer for kids never been equalled.Quentin Blake was brilliant at capturing the stories too.

No, that one was Boy. Going Solo was the sequel to that where he was an Adult.

WomanSkirtFan8 · 16-10-2014 1:26pm

mental07 wrote: »

Brilliant books, brilliant author. He really brought the stories alive! My own favourite is The Witches - Formula 86 Delayed Action MouseMaker!!

Also, the illustration of the Grand High Witch frightened the sh*t out of me!!

Have to agree! The Witches scared me too when I first read it as a kid. Just the stories about the five children who mysteriously disappeared and also just the very idea that the witches all wanted to turn all the children of England into mice just to then basically either stamp on them or get them caught in mouse traps really struc a chord with me as a kid. Pretty horrific stuff! But its great that the witches all get their just deserts in the end.

WomanSkirtFan8 · 16-10-2014 1:30pm

branie wrote: »

Anyone here read his books when they were kids?

Yep! Read Fantastic Mr.Fox, The Witches, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator, George's Marvellous Medicine, Danny The Champion Of The World.

Dahl was the only author whose stories kept me really engrossed in and held my attention when I was a kid. Brilliant author! One of the best ever!

whiskeyman · 17-10-2014 8:53am

I read very little as a child, but one book I loved was 'Boy', his autobiography.
It really got my into a love for autobiographys and non fiction in general.

thejaguar · 17-10-2014 9:13am

I read absolutely everything I could get my hands on by Roald Dahl as a kid.

BFG and Witches were my favourites - loved the idea of their square toes. i used to keep an eye out for ladies with big nostrils and gloves wherever I went. Especially if they were wearing pointy shoes....

WomanSkirtFan8 · 17-10-2014 1:17pm

thejaguar wrote: »

I read absolutely everything I could get my hands on by Roald Dahl as a kid.

BFG and Witches were my favourites - loved the idea of their square toes. i used to keep an eye out for ladies with big nostrils and gloves wherever I went. Especially if they were wearing pointy shoes....

"A REAL Witch is easily the most dangerous of all the creatures on earth!. What makes her doubly dangerous is the fact that she doesn't LOOK dangerous!"

(The Witches' Intro)

Never actually read the BFG (which I believe Dahl apparently modeled on himself) but absolutely loved The Witches (Still have the book) Loved so many things in it particularly the scene where the narrator (as a mouse) is nearly caught in the hotel kitchen and he runs up the chef's trouser leg! Also loved how all the witches themeselves are finally done away with!

Genius! Pure genius!

WomanSkirtFan8 · 17-10-2014 1:17pm

thejaguar wrote: »

I read absolutely everything I could get my hands on by Roald Dahl as a kid.

BFG and Witches were my favourites - loved the idea of their square toes. i used to keep an eye out for ladies with big nostrils and gloves wherever I went. Especially if they were wearing pointy shoes....

Don't forget their claw-like hands and curved nostrils!

branie2 · 17-10-2014 10:27pm

WomanSkirtFan8 wrote: »

Don't forget their claw-like hands and curved nostrils!

And bald heads

WomanSkirtFan8 · 18-10-2014 12:42pm

branie2 wrote: »

And bald heads

true enough! and their blue spit.

branie2 · 19-10-2014 2:55pm

Quentin Blake's illustrations were a great bonus to the books

WomanSkirtFan8 · 20-11-2014 6:42pm

c - 13 wrote: »

Was there another show like that called Stephen Kings Tales of the Unexpected ? I was a bit young to remember the Dahl one but I was full sure that there was a show with the same name associated with Stephen King but cant seem to find any information associated with it (It used to be on at 8PM on either RTE/NETWORK 2 on a SUnday night if that helps )

Not as far as I can recall. I also recall tales of the unexpected. remember that theme tune so well.

Day Lewin · 20-11-2014 6:46pm

Most nostalgic theme tune, even the graphics...

Dream of long ago...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc46Gk-6qrA

Professey Chin · 24-11-2014 10:31am

Been so long since I read a Roald Dahl book. Gonna have to break one out over christmas

WomanSkirtFan8 · 24-11-2014 12:29pm

katemarch wrote: »

Most nostalgic theme tune, even the graphics...

Dream of long ago...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc46Gk-6qrA

a very memorable theme indeed.

Aglomerado · 24-11-2014 3:03pm

Professey Chin wrote: »

Been so long since I read a Roald Dahl book. Gonna have to break one out over christmas

Me too. I have very fond memories of Roald Dahl's books. We had a really lovely teacher in 4th class who used to read us a few chapters of a RD book after lunch ever day. Danny the Champion of the World and James and the Giant Peach are the ones I remember best. Happy days.

nlgbbbblth · 29-11-2014 11:49pm

c - 13 wrote: »

Was there another show like that called Stephen Kings Tales of the Unexpected ? I was a bit young to remember the Dahl one but I was full sure that there was a show with the same name associated with Stephen King but cant seem to find any information associated with it (It used to be on at 8PM on either RTE/NETWORK 2 on a SUnday night if that helps )

Darkroom? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081849/

There was also Tales From The Darkside but that didn't start until almost 11.00pm on Monday nights.

miamee · 02-12-2014 3:49pm

The Twits was my first introduction to Roald Dahl, our teacher read it to us one chapter a day in second class. He was great, he'd do all the voices and everything - magic

The Witches or Matilda were probably my favourite. We actually did Danny the Champion of the World for our Junior Cert! Lol.

I see they have made a movie of Esio Trot with Dustin Hoffman and Julie Goodyear - I never read that one though.

Roald Dahl

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