I started reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to the kids just a few nights ago. In only a couple of readings the setting moved from cabbage and cold to chocolate bars and edible buttercup plants, and we were floating along, delightfully, through rivers of chocolate and Oompa Loompa songs. Our guide was the indefatigable Willy Wonka, in a colorful suit and top hat, full of more ideas and fanciful treats than one book could possibly describe.
I exaggerate not one chocolate kiss when I say that my girls literally squeal with laughter at each over-the-top description of yet another incredible room in Willy Wonka’s factory. Whether it’s chocolate falls, nut cracking squirrels or chocolate by television, everything in Charlie Bucket’s tour of Wonka’s chocolate factory is exactly what every child dreams of, right down to the last page.
It’s been so long since I have read a Roald Dahl that I had completely forgotten his deft parsimony of language and ability to tell a story that speaks to a child’s imagination. The world is an imperfect place, and he does nothing to cover up that fact, but he also sees the potential for good, for joy, and for serendipity. We had a lot of fun reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and we had so much fun that I think we’ll have to read another Dahl soon.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie Bucket #1
Children's Fiction
1964
176
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!
About Daniel
![Charlie and the Chocolate Factory](http://<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6310.Charlie_and_the_Chocolate_Factory" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Charlie Bucket, #1)" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309211401m/6310.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6310.Charlie_and_the_Chocolate_Factory">Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4273.Roald_Dahl">Roald Dahl</a><br/> My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/267596761">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /> I started reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to the kids a few nights ago. In just a couple readings we moved from cabbage and cold to chocolate bars and edible buttercup plants, and we were floating along, delightfully, through rivers of chocolate and Oompa Loompa songs. Our guide was the indefatigable Willy Wonka, in a colorful suit and top hat, full of more ideas and fanciful treats than one book could possibly describe.<br><br>I exaggerate not one chocolate kiss when I say that my girls literally squeal with laughter at each over-the-top description of yet another incredible room in Willy Wonka's factory. Whether it's chocolate falls, nut cracking squirrels or chocolate by television, everything in Charlie Bucket's tour of Wonka's chocolate factory is exactly what every child dreams of, right down to the last page.<br><br>It's been so long since I have read a Roald Dahl that I had completely forgotten his deft parsimony of language and ability to tell a story that speaks to a child's imagination. The world is an imperfect place, and he does nothing to cover up that fact, but he also sees the potential for good, for joy, and for serendipity. We had a lot of fun reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and we had so much fun that I think we'll have to read another Dahl soon. <br/><br/> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/776624-daniel-attack-of-the-books-burton">View all my reviews</a>){kind=link}
O Roald Dahl is the best! His autobiography ‘Boy’ and ‘Going Solo’ is excellent. The grandchildren would love ‘Boy’. ‘Going Solo’ is an account of his war experiences .. His adult short stories are a treat – eg Switch Bitch.
I’m adding those to my list. Thanks for the recommendations.