Roald Dahl Story Day

Did you know that the 13th of September is Roald Dahl Story Day? Today, Roald’s literary legacy continues to be celebrated worldwide in countless schools, libraries, and bookshops. Even though Roald Dahl passed away aged 74 in 1990, his books have only grown in popularity since.

With over 200 million copies of his stories sold across the globe, Roald Dahl has a place in many children’s hearts. Many of Roald’s stories have been made into well-known films such as Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox, and the BFG to name just a few.

Roald Dahl Facts

Did you know that…

• Roald Dahl was a chocolate taster when he was at school, which most likely inspired Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Most of his stories were written in a garden shed, known as the ‘writing hut’
• During World War II, Roald was an MI6 spy
• Roald was born in Wales but had Norwegian parents
• Roald never typed up his stories, instead, he handwrote them in pencil in an old red book!

Roald Dahl Activities

If your child is a big Roald Dahl fan, these activities may just tickle their fancy…

Design a new Wonka Bar

Grab your colouring pens and great creative designing the next big Wonka Bar sensation. Encourage kids to think about unique ingredients, flavours and colours for their one-of-a-kind sweet treat. This is also a fun way to get them to use their imaginative literacy skills as they describe and market their design.

Invent wondercrump words

© Quentin Blake

Did you know that Roald Dahl conjured up 500 new words in his stories? Some of these phizz-whizzing words include…

• Snozzwanger - “a deadly three-footed creature that preys on Oompa-Loompas"
• Swashboggling - "Very special"
• Lickswishy - "A lickswishy taste or flavour is gloriously delicious"
• Flushbunking - "Makes no sense whatsoever"

Young writers can create their own Roald Dahl words too and even compile a mini dictionary full of their new found wordsmith wonders. What words will they come up with?

Explore Matilda’s powers (through physics)

© Quentin Blake

Matilda Wormwood is loved for her special powers and ability to trump wicked Miss Trunchbull. Can objects be moved with mind power? Who knew science could be so much fun! KS2 kids can investigate the physics of Matilda’s special telekinetic powers with Deborah Herridge. Children will learn how to use their scientific knowledge and skills to investigate different forces and explore the unique effects of forces.

Our Favourite Roald Dahl Stories

Did you read Roald Dahl stories when you were young? We asked our team for their childhood favourites to celebrate Roald Dahl Story Day.

The BFG

© Quentin Blake

“My favourite Roald Dahl book is The BFG, I always liked the idea of catching my dreams in little jars and travelling in someone's pocket. The BFG also taught me not to judge a book by its cover as everyone assumed the giant was scary but was lovely all along.” - Georgia

Fantastic Mr. Fox

© Quentin Blake

“For me, mine is Fantastic Mr Fox. I always thought that I was similar to the Fox: crafty, but everyone thinks he’s an alright guy!” - Alex

The Twits

© Quentin Blake