Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
D is for Dahl: A Gloriumptious A-Z guide to the world of Roald Dahl
Nonfiction
For ages 8 and up
Penguin, 2005 ISBN: 978-0670060238
For many of us the men and women who write the books we love are heroes whom we admire from afar and whom we know very little about. Roald Dahl’s books have delighted, entertained, and amused children and adults alike for many years and now a book has been created which celebrates his life and his work. Presented in the form of an A-Z book, it is "Not a biography" but it is full of fascinating information about Roald Dahl, his books, his characters, his family, and much more.
For example it will not come as a surprise to his readers to know that Roald had eight children, five by his first wife the actress Patricia Neal and three with his second wife Liccy. A man who could get inside the minds and hearts of children so well in his books must have loved children and enjoyed being with them. It is also interesting to know that Roald was a happy and unashamed chocoholic. No wonder he dedicated a whole book to a story about a chocolate factory!
Quentin Blake has created wonderful illustrations for this book and black and white photographs can also be found on many of the pages showing Roald, his family, his pets, and important places in his life. Readers can also read examples of his hand written notes, quotes from his books, and all sorts of odd little notes and facts dot the pages. In short this book is perfect for dipping into and browsing through and by the end of it the reader will have a wonderful sense of what Roald Dahl was like.
