Roald Dahl

You're a better person than me if you can pronounce his first name properly, i watched a programme about him on BBC1 last night and i'm still none the wiser. This wasn't helped my the fact that even his own family were pronouncing his name in different ways. This might have been partly to do with his ex wife having suffered a stroke but i'm sure some of them pronounced it Ru-ald and other Rolled. It isn't of any great importance and the only thin connection i can make to justify wittering on about his name is that as well as having a seriously weird name he wrote seriously weird but wonderful stories.

I remember reading The Witches, The BFG and James and the Giant peach as child, not to mention my favourite Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and while i'm sure i had books read to me before that, the ones beginning with, "once upon a time," when i was younger it was my first real introduction to reading. Reading for pleasure and not just because your parents or teachers were trying to teach you to read, books you did want to read yourself and despite being a reluctant reader to begin with i'm glad it's an interest i developed. Not least as it's a pursuit that is bloody marvellous when your travelling on public transport on a regular basis.

It's probably a bit harsh to compare it to childrens books now, for one i no longer see them with the eyes of a child, secondly i'm no longer in the habit of reading childrens books, the rare exception being when i read the first three Harry Potter books which i found for the most part strangely bland for books trumped as the best thing since sliced bread. I think childrens books even more so than adults should stir the imagination and the works of Roald Dahl certainly do that.