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Books : James and the Giant Peach
Rating: 
- Marvelous tale, with the good and bad of Dahl
I remembered loving this book from my childhood and was happy to read it to my 5.5 year old girl. She enjoyed the whole story, from beginning to end, though she was a bit spooked in places. James' aunts are quite nasty, and the cloud people are very frightening. Dahl is from an older England--a place that could be mean and cruel to children. And so, Dahl's worlds are not always the happiest of places. This only means that the book might be best suited to children from age 7 or 8 on up.
Reading the book as an adult (and having just read two other Dahl books) I have the sense that Dahl tends to make up the story as he goes along. He doesn't seem to have a structure or a plan, but rather relies on his powers of imagination to push the story forward. This can leave his tales in a bit of a freewheeling state. Perhaps he's more of a fireside storyteller than a novelist. But Dahl's sense for his young audience is quite good, and he manages to bring James, the peach, and the insects to a fine end. The tale is worth reading for many a generation to come.
Rating:
- A Peachy Read For ALL Ages
Perhaps I should confess right up front that this review of what is popularly regarded solely as a children's book is being written by a 50+-year-old male "adult" who hadn't read a kids' book in many years. For me, Welsh author Roald Dahl had long been the guy who scripted one of my favorite James Bond movies, 1967's "You Only Live Twice," and who was married for 30 years to the great actress Patricia Neal. Recently, though, in need of some "mental palate cleansing" after a bunch of serious adult lit, I picked up Dahl's first kiddy novel, "James and the Giant Peach," and now know what several generations have been aware of since the book's release in 1961; that this is an absolutely charming story for young and old alike, with marvelous characters, a remarkably imaginative story line and some quirky humor scattered throughout.
As most baby boomers and their kids and grandkids probably know by now, this short novel introduces us to James Henry Trotter, a young boy who is forced to move in with his nasty Aunts Sponge and Spiker when his loving parents are eaten by a rhinoceros on the streets of London (!). His miserable existence takes a turn for the better when a mysterious old man gives him a bagful of magic green crystals, which James promptly and accidentally spills near the base of a barren peach tree. What follows is wondrous in the extreme, as James discovers a septet of insectoid friends inside the enormous, house-sized fruit that soon develops. Along with his new buddies--a centipede, an old grasshopper, an earthworm, a glowworm, a silkworm (which character was oddly dropped from the 1996 Disney filmization), a spider and a ladybug--James sets off in the detached peach on a trans-Atlantic journey, and this is just the beginning of his great adventures. Dahl makes sure that each of his insect characters has a distinct personality of his or her own; the centipede is a snarky showoff, the earthworm a constant worrier, the grasshopper wise and serene, the silkworm a quiet nonentity, Miss Spider sweet and caring, the ladybug warm and maternal, the glowworm mainly concerned with keeping her light going. Each brings its own set of abilities to the fore in times of crisis, James' own particular strength being his great boyish intelligence, natch. They are a terrific team of characters that effectively show the little ones the value of teamwork and overcoming differences.
Adult readers of "James and the Giant Peach" will likely be struck by errant thoughts as the story progresses. For example, the violent deaths of Spiker and Sponge, not to mention James' parents, are surprising, if glossed over lightly. Perhaps these instances of violence are the reason why this book ranks #56 on the American Library Association's list of "The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999." (Dahl's "The Witches" is #27.) Still, generations of impressionable youths have managed to take in the "objectionable" aspects of this book with no discernible damage to their delicate psyches, as far as I can tell! Adult readers may also be amused at the mention of a "famous factory where they made chocolate" in the book (a foreshadowing of 1964's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"?), and wonder at the number of sophisticated words (such as "wampus," "manticore" and "prock") that Dahl dishes out for the kiddies. They may also get a huge kick out of the hilarious poems and songs scattered throughout the story, as well as by the lighthearted humor in general. (I think it's hilarious that Miss Ladybug winds up marrying the head of the NYC Fire Department!) Grown-ups may also find cause to wonder why all those 502 seagulls fall into James' lasso trap. Couldn't all those birds detect this trap after 50 or so were snared? But this is a quibble. From magical beginning throughout its action-packed length (I haven't even mentioned the shark sequence yet, or the extended segment with the Cloud Men, which the Disney film unwisely drops if favor of an underwater ghost ship that is not in Dahl's novel), this book is a joy and a pleasure for young and--as I have just proved to myself--um, older alike. This classic work hardly needs MY seal of approval at this late date, but I just wanted all the adults out there to know that this might be a fun read for them, too. And now, I think I'm gonna go pick up "The Witches"....
Rating: - James and the Giant Peach
James and the Giant Peach is such an exciting book!
It's about a boy named James who meets a man who has magic crystals. But on accident, he tripped and the crystals spilled all over the peach tree. Which never grew anything so the crystals made that one little peach and the only peach grow really big, so it was as big as the house.So one day he started to circle the peach and found an entrance that he could crawl in, so he did and he heard voices. He got scared, but he kept going and met Centipede, Grasshopper,a Ladybug and Worm and finally a Spider. But with so much vibration, the peach snapped and started to roll away.
And that's as far as I'm going so you will have to read it to find out the rest!
Rating: - Like the Peach, this book is huge for children
As a volunteer reader to school children, I'm always searching for stories that hold their interest. JAMES and the GIANT PEACH is just the book to grab the little peoples' minds and promote the shining upturned faces that every storyteller loves to see. As James and his larger-than-life insect friends ride a wayward giant peach through many heartstopping adventures, I always sense that each listening child has latched onto the insect with characteristics most similar to their own self image and rides with it, relishing each inventive way their bug contributes to the well-being of all the others. In fact, in my post reading conversation with the students, I ask what insect was the favorite. Each child has a different answer and reason for their selection. It's fascinating to hear each little person describe his or her choice.
Mr. Dahl wrote many children's books before his death in 1990, and each of them is a masterpiece of invention, excitement, humor, and scariness that children love to experience. In my opinion, JAMES and the GIANT PEACH, his first children's book after a decade and a half of writing adult stories, is the most appealing, never failing to capture the attention of young listeners and filling their minds with wondrous images.
If you haven't read it, do so. If you haven't read it to a child, do that also -- as soon as possible.
Rating: - Imaginative, funny, a great read!
Wonderful, fantastical adventure of a boy and his friends in a giant peach. Roald Dahl has written quite a number of books, and some of them are really more suited for older readers, due to difficulty of language and story theme. But this one I would definitely recommend as a first Roald Dahl book; suitable for all ages. In fact, I liked this even better than "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
- Marvelous tale, with the good and bad of DahlI remembered loving this book from my childhood and was happy to read it to my 5.5 year old girl. She enjoyed the whole story, from beginning to end, though she was a bit spooked in places. James' aunts are quite nasty, and the cloud people are very frightening. Dahl is from an older England--a place that could be mean and cruel to children. And so, Dahl's worlds are not always the happiest of places. This only means that the book might be best suited to children from age 7 or 8 on up.
Reading the book as an adult (and having just read two other Dahl books) I have the sense that Dahl tends to make up the story as he goes along. He doesn't seem to have a structure or a plan, but rather relies on his powers of imagination to push the story forward. This can leave his tales in a bit of a freewheeling state. Perhaps he's more of a fireside storyteller than a novelist. But Dahl's sense for his young audience is quite good, and he manages to bring James, the peach, and the insects to a fine end. The tale is worth reading for many a generation to come.
Rating:
- A Peachy Read For ALL AgesPerhaps I should confess right up front that this review of what is popularly regarded solely as a children's book is being written by a 50+-year-old male "adult" who hadn't read a kids' book in many years. For me, Welsh author Roald Dahl had long been the guy who scripted one of my favorite James Bond movies, 1967's "You Only Live Twice," and who was married for 30 years to the great actress Patricia Neal. Recently, though, in need of some "mental palate cleansing" after a bunch of serious adult lit, I picked up Dahl's first kiddy novel, "James and the Giant Peach," and now know what several generations have been aware of since the book's release in 1961; that this is an absolutely charming story for young and old alike, with marvelous characters, a remarkably imaginative story line and some quirky humor scattered throughout.
As most baby boomers and their kids and grandkids probably know by now, this short novel introduces us to James Henry Trotter, a young boy who is forced to move in with his nasty Aunts Sponge and Spiker when his loving parents are eaten by a rhinoceros on the streets of London (!). His miserable existence takes a turn for the better when a mysterious old man gives him a bagful of magic green crystals, which James promptly and accidentally spills near the base of a barren peach tree. What follows is wondrous in the extreme, as James discovers a septet of insectoid friends inside the enormous, house-sized fruit that soon develops. Along with his new buddies--a centipede, an old grasshopper, an earthworm, a glowworm, a silkworm (which character was oddly dropped from the 1996 Disney filmization), a spider and a ladybug--James sets off in the detached peach on a trans-Atlantic journey, and this is just the beginning of his great adventures. Dahl makes sure that each of his insect characters has a distinct personality of his or her own; the centipede is a snarky showoff, the earthworm a constant worrier, the grasshopper wise and serene, the silkworm a quiet nonentity, Miss Spider sweet and caring, the ladybug warm and maternal, the glowworm mainly concerned with keeping her light going. Each brings its own set of abilities to the fore in times of crisis, James' own particular strength being his great boyish intelligence, natch. They are a terrific team of characters that effectively show the little ones the value of teamwork and overcoming differences.
Adult readers of "James and the Giant Peach" will likely be struck by errant thoughts as the story progresses. For example, the violent deaths of Spiker and Sponge, not to mention James' parents, are surprising, if glossed over lightly. Perhaps these instances of violence are the reason why this book ranks #56 on the American Library Association's list of "The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999." (Dahl's "The Witches" is #27.) Still, generations of impressionable youths have managed to take in the "objectionable" aspects of this book with no discernible damage to their delicate psyches, as far as I can tell! Adult readers may also be amused at the mention of a "famous factory where they made chocolate" in the book (a foreshadowing of 1964's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"?), and wonder at the number of sophisticated words (such as "wampus," "manticore" and "prock") that Dahl dishes out for the kiddies. They may also get a huge kick out of the hilarious poems and songs scattered throughout the story, as well as by the lighthearted humor in general. (I think it's hilarious that Miss Ladybug winds up marrying the head of the NYC Fire Department!) Grown-ups may also find cause to wonder why all those 502 seagulls fall into James' lasso trap. Couldn't all those birds detect this trap after 50 or so were snared? But this is a quibble. From magical beginning throughout its action-packed length (I haven't even mentioned the shark sequence yet, or the extended segment with the Cloud Men, which the Disney film unwisely drops if favor of an underwater ghost ship that is not in Dahl's novel), this book is a joy and a pleasure for young and--as I have just proved to myself--um, older alike. This classic work hardly needs MY seal of approval at this late date, but I just wanted all the adults out there to know that this might be a fun read for them, too. And now, I think I'm gonna go pick up "The Witches"....
Rating:
- James and the Giant PeachJames and the Giant Peach is such an exciting book!
It's about a boy named James who meets a man who has magic crystals. But on accident, he tripped and the crystals spilled all over the peach tree. Which never grew anything so the crystals made that one little peach and the only peach grow really big, so it was as big as the house.So one day he started to circle the peach and found an entrance that he could crawl in, so he did and he heard voices. He got scared, but he kept going and met Centipede, Grasshopper,a Ladybug and Worm and finally a Spider. But with so much vibration, the peach snapped and started to roll away.
And that's as far as I'm going so you will have to read it to find out the rest!
Rating:
- Like the Peach, this book is huge for childrenAs a volunteer reader to school children, I'm always searching for stories that hold their interest. JAMES and the GIANT PEACH is just the book to grab the little peoples' minds and promote the shining upturned faces that every storyteller loves to see. As James and his larger-than-life insect friends ride a wayward giant peach through many heartstopping adventures, I always sense that each listening child has latched onto the insect with characteristics most similar to their own self image and rides with it, relishing each inventive way their bug contributes to the well-being of all the others. In fact, in my post reading conversation with the students, I ask what insect was the favorite. Each child has a different answer and reason for their selection. It's fascinating to hear each little person describe his or her choice.
Mr. Dahl wrote many children's books before his death in 1990, and each of them is a masterpiece of invention, excitement, humor, and scariness that children love to experience. In my opinion, JAMES and the GIANT PEACH, his first children's book after a decade and a half of writing adult stories, is the most appealing, never failing to capture the attention of young listeners and filling their minds with wondrous images.
If you haven't read it, do so. If you haven't read it to a child, do that also -- as soon as possible.
Rating:
- Imaginative, funny, a great read!Wonderful, fantastical adventure of a boy and his friends in a giant peach. Roald Dahl has written quite a number of books, and some of them are really more suited for older readers, due to difficulty of language and story theme. But this one I would definitely recommend as a first Roald Dahl book; suitable for all ages. In fact, I liked this even better than "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
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