Well, I've decided to post my Roald Dahl recaps in twos, and on today's docket we have Matilda and The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me. 
After diving into the weird and wonderful world of Dahl last year with The Twits and The Witches, Matilda was the logical next choice for me having grown up watching the 1996 film adaptation starring Mara Wilson as the brilliant Matilda Wormwood. My best friend Amanda and I used to go around chanting Danny DeVito's condescending little monologue thinking we were hilarious.
Listen, you little wiseacre: I'm smart, you're dumb; I'm big, you're little; I'm right, you're wrong. And there's nothing you can do about it.
One of Roald Dahl's most beloved books, Matilda was published in 1988 and people have been voting it one of the best children's books of all time ever since. Opening his novel by explaining how mothers and fathers always think their own children are wonderful little geniuses despite any evidence to the contrary, Dahl then goes on to tell the story of Matilda Wormwood, a bonafide genius whose awful parents' can't be bothered with her at all. When Matilda starts to school under the atrocious headmistress Miss Trunchbull, she befriends her teacher Miss Honey who is amazed at Matilda's intellectual abilities, and after an extraordinary onset of powers, Matilda uses them to oust Miss Trunchbull.
Dahl had me laughing out loud straight out of the gate with his treatise on ridiculous parents and his thoughts on how he might behave if he were a teacher having to deal with such parents. I was enchanted with Matilda and her love for books, and I found myself cheering on the compassionate librarian Mrs. Phelps. Matilda's tricks on her neglectful and abusive parents were hilarious, and the retribution she finally doles out on Miss Trunchbull is altogether satisfying. But by the very end of the book, even though Matilda and Miss Honey end up in a happily ever after together, I couldn't help feeling just a little sad for how awful Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood are and how they missed out on such a sweet daughter. Personally, I think the humor plays out a bit better on-screen where they're portrayed by the hilarious Danny DeVito and and Rhea Perlman.
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me is a mere 73 pages long and tells the sweet story of Billy, who befriends the Ladderless Window-Cleaning Company (which is made up of the Giraffe, the Pelican, and the Monkey) after they buy the queer old wooden house not far from where Billy lives. Billy has always dreamed of one day owning the old house and restoring it to its former glory as a sweet-stop, and after an adventure with the Giraffe and Pelly and Monkey, the Duke of Hampshire, and a jewel thief, he eventually does get to fulfill his secret wish of running the sweet-shop.
Published in 1985, this one kept me smiling at the antics of the Giraffe and Pelly and Monkey—especially all their clever little sing-songy rhymes. It was worth reading the whole book just for the Monkey's final farewell song to Billy (which I will feature on the blog on Wednesday). And the charming illustrations by Quentin Blake were a delight as usual.
While The Witches is still holding as my favorite so far, both these books get my stamp of approval, and I'm looking forward to my next visit with Dahl. I think the two books featuring Charlie Bucket will be the next stop on my journey.
What's your favorite Roald Dahl book?
Oh, Matilda! Definitely my favourite Dahl. I felt so *seen* by it (despite the fact that my parents weren't anything like the Wormwoods) - just to have such a bookish young girl on the page, as opposed to all the sporty and otherwise-talented protagonists my world felt saturated with, was such a marvel. Thanks for the nostalgic trip down memory lane!
ReplyDeleteIt was such a fun one! I wish I had gotten into Dahl as a kid, but it's a lot of fun discovering him now.
DeleteMatilda, the book and movie, are family favorites from growing up. My brother and I still quote the movie to each other.
ReplyDeleteSo fun! I wish I had read the book as a kid.
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