Best Roald Dahl Books For 7 Year Olds
Jenifer Griffard
Hi there,
DS, almost 6 is just getting into Roald Dahl. We have read to him The Enormous Crocodile and The Giraffe the Pelly and Me and he is now reading himself and loving Esio Trot and Fantastic Mr Fox (we had them on audio CD in the car during the Summer and he wanted the books to read). Which other of RD's books are good for his age group- 6-8 year olds for example. I'd rather avoid anything too dark/scary as there is plenty of time and I want him to enjoy them at an age appropriate time. However, he is becoming very interested in Roald Dahl, reading the back covers and seeing all the other books he has written, so I'd like to feed his interest. Any suggestions?
Thanks Caerlaverock, will try those. Well, he is fairly sensitive without being exceptionally so. Normally I am not bothered and just try books and see how they go, and it is rare for him to be scared. However, I had heard that some of RD had dark themes (can't quite remember myself, have read them but yonks ago!) and scary for younger children so I'd rather him not read those yet.
Also, I made a mistake of getting a Terry Deary book out the library for him- Knight's Tales which was just the right level re reading level, but then the boy died halfway through and DS was terrified and didn't want to read anymore . I realised that the reading level was right but the story was for an older (or less sensitive) child. I'm keen not to repeat that mistake as there are plenty of good books without scaring your child!
I think I'd devoured all the Roald Dahl books by the age of 7 or so - I don't recall feeling scared at any of them although you might want to keep Revolting Rhymes away from him
The BFG film is WONDERFUL [GRIN]
We are loving Danny the Champion of the World atm (DCs 6 and 3)- a great story, and no scary bits, also has the original idea for the BFG in it. It's a very gentle books I think, really written tenderly.
There's also The Twits.
My ds1 is 5 and loves f mr fox. And even sat through a film of it the other day which is unheard of for my Duracell to sit still.
He's seen the films of c and the Choc f.
Thinking of getting George's marvellous medicine next.
But agree that fmf is the best as an introduction. Uncomplicated and short chapters to read.
DD loves the Enormous Crocodile and the Giraffe The Pelly and Me. The versions of those we have are more like picture books with big colourful pictures on every page. Or Revolting Rhymes is good.
The Magic Finger is quite short, so good for shorter attention spans. James and the Giant Peach is a bit longer, but also a good one, or Fantastic mr fox, the twits, or George's marvellous medicine.
Most of the other books might be a bit long, I would say, plus I think my DD would be too scared of some of them, like The Witches or the BFG for now.
I'm not keen on Roald Dahl for very young children. They have a strong message that it is ok for horrible things to happen to mean people. George's Marvellous Medicine is my particular bugbear. Once children are 5 or 6 and a bit more mature they have a fairly good idea of right and wrong, fair and unfair and a bit of understanding of how fiction works and it seems ok but at 3, it felt very wrong to be reading Roald Dahl to DC1. And DC2 at 3 just wasn't ready for chapter books anyway, so no problem there.
DD is 3.9 and loves the Enormous Crocodile. We recently read George's Marvellous Medicine too - although what happens to Grandma is fairly alarming. I read both as a child but was still shocked at the ending of each! I loved Roald Dahl as a child but think they are a bit frightening for small children. The Book People are selling most of his books in a set for 15; I've ordered it but think I will keep most of them back until DD is a bit older.
Mine are 5 and 3 and they both love The Enormous Crocodile and The Giraffe the Pelly and Me. We have the big books with the illustrations in too. DS, nearly 6 also really liked Esio Trot and Fantastic Mr Fox.
Depends on the preschooler! My DD (3) loves it, whereas although DS loves it at 5, I remember wondering how he'd do with it when he was 4 as he is more of a sensitive type! Did fine at 4, but I wouldn't have done it earlier for him.
My 6 yo DD1 has read The Giraffe, The Pelly and Me quite happily (after we'd done it as a family bedtime book with her younger sister who is rising 4) and has read ahead in Charlie & TCF as she couldn't bear to wait for us to do our nightly chapter. She tells me she is reading The Twits with her guided reading group at school and she has just borrowed Esio Trot from the library so I'd say that your DS should be OK with all of those.
A six year old should be able to read all Dahl's books. DS1's favourite was Danny the Champion of the world. Just threw all our RD books out as DCs teenagers now.
I used to know the Enormous Crocodile off by heart
I've read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to my 4 year old - the 2 year old dipped in and out of it. Also Matilda, the Twits and James and the Giant Peach. All have gone down really well, we have watched the films of some of them after and it is interesting to see how much she comments on the differences between the books and films. We are currently reading The Giraffe, Pelly and Me and all three of us are enjoying it, I don't remember it from my childhood, but would definately recommend it.
My 5 yo is terrified of Ronald Dahl stories.
She HATED Fantastic Mr Fox as the 'baddies' are way too scary. And was crying at the beginning of James and the Giant Peach because the Aunts are so mean to poor James. She's a soft lump though
Bad things don't just happen to mean people in the stories, bad things happen to little children. And adults are really cruel to them, which really upsets DD. I know there's always a happy ending but we never get that far as DD has been reduced to heaving sobs and is sat rocking in bed sobbing "poor JJJJJames, why are they so mean Mummy WHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYY?"
So yeah - I do think they're genuinely upsetting for little children
I think I will leave them for a few years before I re-introduce DD to them anyway
I am a huge Roald Dahl fan but have not even started with mine (5.5 and 3). The Twits is not funny unless you can process it, it's just mean and horrible. The Witches is bloody terrifying. Can't wait to get to Matilda though.
I totally agree about not giving James or The Magic Finger to impressionable ones. Mine reacted badly to those as well which is why I only posted about the ones with which we had success.
Maybe I should have included a more explicit health warning.
Duchess, LeFreak - DS1 is a sensitive little soul too but bizarrely loved Roald Dahl. he also loved Pippi Longstocking (which is a great book) and the worst witch stories. Am holding off on reading Gobbolino the Witches Cat to him as I remember finding it v sad when I was at school - and i found Heidi really upsetting too.
Roald Dahl remains one of my all-time favorite children's book authors. The novelist is best known for works like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda, but he penned plenty of other masterpieces, from The Witches to The Twits to The Big Friendly Giant.
Many of these novels have been adapted into films, but even the best of these---such as Danny DeVito's Matilda---still can't live up to the joy of reading the books themselves, and soaking in the marvelous artwork of artist Quentin Blake.
In 1988, Dahl also penned a rather heartbreaking account of why he supports vaccines, and the measles vaccine in particular. Think of it as his way to urge the stubborn anti-vaccine crowd onto a better path.
At the time of Dahl's writing, the author wrote that "in Britain, because so many parents refuse, either out of obstinacy or ignorance or fear, to allow their children to be immunised, we still have a hundred thousand cases of measles every year. Out of those, more than 10,000 will suffer side effects of one kind or another. At least 10,000 will develop ear or chest infections. About 20 will die."
Compare that to the chances of complication from a vaccine: "In a district of around 300,000 people," Dahl writes, "there will be only one child every 250 years who will develop serious side effects from measles immunisation! That is about a million to one chance. I should think there would be more chance of your child choking to death on a chocolate bar than of becoming seriously ill from a measles immunisation."
It's not surprising that a children's book author would be passionate about this subject, especially given his own tragic history with measles. Dahl's work almost always focuses on children overcoming the odds set by the adults of their world. Sailing away from despicable aunts in the bowels of a giant peach, or navigating the halls of a bewitched hotel.
After all, no demographic is as weak or defenseless as children---except for in stories like Dahl's. In the real world, it's our job as grown-ups and parents to look after our children. Stories only do so much.
The fact of the matter---the undisputed scientific consensus on the matter---is that vaccinating your children is safer than not vaccinating them. Safer for your children but also for the children around you, at school and in the playground and down the street.
Are you on the hunt for the perfect Roald Dahl books for 13-year-olds? You're in luck! Roald Dahl's stories have captivated readers of all ages with their unique charm and wit, making them a fantastic choice for young teens. Whether you're looking for a gift or just some great additions to your teen's reading list, we've got you covered. Keep reading to discover various lists of Roald Dahl books that are sure to enchant and entertain any 13-year-old reader.
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