My Favorite

My love for children’s literature started my junior year in college. We were given the assignment: read 200 Caldecott medal winners and honor books and write a summary for each. As enormous as this assignment was, it ignited my passion for children’s literature. I use the word passion because that is exactly what it is. It’s more than a love or a desire. Passing on this passion for reading is what fills my heart with joy. There is nothing better than hearing a child say, “Are you going to read us a book now?? PLEASE???”
So here I am…starting this blog, to pass on my passion for books to you, that you might share it with your child.
It would only seem fitting to start a blog about children’s books with my favorite author. That man is Roald Dahl. He has written many, many books…most of them for children. Here are my top favorites-ones I ALWAYS read to my classes, each and every year.




The BFG: A Big Friendly Giant befriends the orphan Sophie. Together they work with the Queen of England to rid the world of “human bean” eating giants! The BGF is my favorite character that Roald Dahl created. He is loving, honest, kind, and gentle. I’ve always said that if I have a daughter, I’d like to name her Sophie because of this book.


Age: Amazon says that the book is for kids 7 years old and up. I think most 7 year olds would have a hard time reading this on their own because of the “silly” way the BFG talks.








The Witches: If you allow your child to read/watch Harry Potter or don’t mind them reading about magic, then your kids will LOVE this book!! A little boy (Roald Dahl never gives the main character a name) and his grandmother take a vacation to Norway for the summer. While the little boy works on training his white mice to do tricks, he runs into a room full of witches!! Can the little boy and his grandmother rid Norway of the Witches?? Read to find out!









George’s Marvelous Medicine: This might be one of my very favorite books that Roald Dahl wrote. It is always one of the favorites of the students, as well. George has a very grouchy and angry grandmother. One day when George’s parents are away, he decides to replace his grandmother’s medicine with his own marvelous concoction!!! The results are stupendous!!

Age: This is one of Roald Dahl’s “mini-novels.” (not sure what the technical term for that is!). It is a MUCH easier read than the first two. Most 7-8 year olds could read this book on his/her own fairly easily.



Side Note:

1. Many of the Roald Dahl books refer to an adult drinking beer or whiskey. It is never an detail in any of the books I have read. It is more of a mention – like you and I would say “a glass of wine with dinner.” Not an “issue” in my opinion, but I know that many parents would like to know that it is mentioned.

2. Most of Roald Dahl’s books are great read-a-louds for children 6 and up. Because Roald Dahl grew up in Wales, Norway, and England, his sentence structure and grammar usage can be unusual. (Example: “Whipped cream isn't whipped cream at all if it hasn’t been whipped with whips, just like poached eggs isn't poached eggs unless it's been stolen in the dead of the night.” ― Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”)

3. Not all of his books are for young kids. The book Revolting Rhymes is a book of poetry that is geared more towards junior high age kids. As with any book a child is going to read, it’s a good idea to read it first!


So there you have it! Some of my favorites! 

**All images are from  www.amazon.com