D is for Dahl

by Wendy Cooling (Compiler)

Did you know that Roald Dahl loved chocolate, but never ate spaghetti? Or that he was a terrible speller? Or that he had four sisters? D Is for Dahl is an A to Z collection of facts, trivia, and zany details that bring Roald Dahl and his memorable characters to life. Filled with Quentin Blake's illustrations plus black-and-white photos, each spread is exploding with information about the creator of Willy Wonka, James, and Matilda—from his family tree to the exact type of pencil he used to write his stories. Perfect for devoted fans and Dahl newcomers alike, this is a gloriumptious guide to the world of Roald Dahl.
From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Childrens, Humor, Middle Grade, Picture Books, 21st Century

159 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2004

About the author

Wendy Cooling, a former teacher and Head of the Children's Book Foundation (now Book Trust), works as a freelance book consultant, reviewer and editor. She recently put together the successful millennium collection, CENTURIES OF STORIES. Wendy lives in Hertfordshire. (less)

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

However you think Roald's name is pronounced, you're wrong.

Wendy Cooling's excellent book meandered its way through Dahl's greatest works and misadventures. It was full of fun facts - such as his first name is actually pronounced Roo-ahl (silent D).

I loved reading about the little adventures that happened throughout his life, such as:

"Roald Dahl was keen to help out his daughter Lucy with her English homework. He wrote a story especially for her, then Lucy copied it out neatly and handed it in. Both she and her dad were horrified when the teacher returned it marked: 'C—you could do better.' "

Could you imagine being that teacher?

We also get a few very amusing musing from a young Dahl:

"Waterproof ~ When he was a very small boy, Roald Dahl would lie in the bath worrying that his skin would develop a leak and he would fill up with water and sink, or even die."

Dahl frequently invented elaborate pranks and new sweet recipes (like a Creamy Kit Kat Pudding). His most important invention was for his son Theo. Theo received a head injury and doctors were worried about fluid build-up in the young child's brain. Roald Dahl co-invented a valve that could drain the liquid and prevent such pressure from negatively impacting the brain. (Luckily his child recovered fully).

I loved the author's sense of humor - quite a few entries went something along the lines of this:

"Dhal ~ A spicy Indian dish made from lentils. Ooops, sorry—wrong type of Dahl."

But by far, my favorite entry had to be for W:

"Whizzpops ~ One of Roald Dahl’s dinner guests had peculiar table manners. After dessert, he would entertain everyone else by lighting his own whizzpops."

For those of you who haven't read the BFG recently, whizzpops was the BFG's way of saying toots. Dahl was one crazy guy!

The Finer Books Club - 2018 Reading Challenge: A book with less than 10 chapters

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[Maede · Rating 3 out of 5]

اگر مثل من با داستان های رولد دال بزرگ شده باشید و نه تنها شیفته ی کتاب هاش و خلاقیت بی انتهاشون باشید، بلکه با کتاب های "پسر" و "سفر تک نفره" عاشق زندگی و شخصیت خود رولد دال هم شده باشید، این کتاب می تونه واقعا جالب باشه

این کتاب کوچک مجموعه ای از فکت ها و نکته های رولد دالیه که مثل یک دایره‌المعارف کوچک دسته بندی شده. با اینکه خیلی هاش رو می دونستم، ولی باز هم توضیحات خوبی داشت که کاملا برام جدید بود. چیزی که دوست داشتم این بود که با این کتاب انگار همه ی آثار رولد دال رو به سرعت با پشت صحنه هاش مرور کردم

با خوندن اخلاق های دال و سبک زندگیش بیشتر از همیشه به این نتیجه رسیدم که مغزهای شگفت انگیز کمتر ممکنه در انسان های نرمال جا بشن

٩٩.۵.١٧

[Mariah Roze · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am currently trying to read as many Roald Dahl books as I can before the end of the year. This book is a biography about Roald Dahl but told in the form of the alphabet.

"D is for Dahl is an A to Z collection of facts, trivia, and zany details that bring Roald Dahl and his memorable characters to life filled with Quentin Blake's illustrations plus black and white photos."

Here are some of the entertaining passages from the book:

"Althild- Alf was Roald Dahl's big sister. She was a genuine eccentric. Here are some of the unusual things she did: she smoked cigars, drank champagne out of her shoe, and danced on tabletops! Roald and Alf were very close- they shared a passion for gardening & gossiped endlessly on the phone."

"Roald Dahl liked old, precious things and enjoyed poking and rummaging around in antique shops. He opened his own antique shop in Great Missenden for his daughter Tessa, called the Witchball. Later, he owned an antique business called Dahl & Son, which he owned with his son."

"Freezer- Roald Dahl invented an ingenious method of stretching shoes, so that they were more comfortable. If your shoes are too tight, fill plastic bags with water; put the bags in the shoes and the shoes in the freezer. The bags get bigger as ice forms and the shoes s-t-r-e-t-c-h!"

"Gums- When Roald Dahl's brother-in-law Leslie Hansen had to have all his teeth out, he absolutely refused to have false ones. From then on, he ate everything- even big, juicy steaks- using his gums."

"Inventions- If Roald Dahl wanted something that didn't exist, he didn't let this stop him- he simply invented it. He created gardening gadgets, made his own hot-air balloons and kites, developed medical cures and devised brain-bending games. His ambition was to invent a silent cigarette lighter- so that he could smoke at night without waking his wife.... When Theo was hurt in an accident, Roald researched ways to help his son and jointly invented a special valve to drain water from the brain. He and his neighbor also pioneered a type of therapy that helped his first wife to make a full recovery from her strokes. It's still used today by the National Stroke Association."

"Toilet-seat Warmer Extraordinaire- At Repton School, the younger pupils acted as servants for the older boys. This often meant tidying their study or running errands. But Roald Dahl was given a really odd job to do. He sat on the toilet in a chilly outhouse, making sure that the seat was warm and toasty enough for the house prefect's bottom!"

I enjoyed this easy, fast read and suggest it to anyone that wants to learn more about Roald Dahl!

[~:The N:~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

D is for delightful.
This is how you make a nonfiction book more interesting for children - by making it fun and exciting! This book is full of interesting facts and trivia about the beloved Mr Roald Dahl. The book was really fascinating and I enjoyed it very much. It was so fun I thought the book may have been written by Dahl himself.

[Luann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so many interesting facts about Roald Dahl! I would have thought I would have known most of them from reading both of his autobiographies, but that was a long time ago. This is a great book for all Roald Dahl fans.

In honor of the A-Z random fact format, here is a random collection of a few of the facts I learned:

* Roald Dahl was interested in art and would often buy paintings, even when he couldn't afford them. When he ran out of money, he would sell them. Once he made it as an author, he was glad he could then afford to keep his paintings.

* One of his hobbies was photography, and he even won some awards for his photos.

* Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake became best friends. Roald called him "Quent" and said that it was his pictures rather than the written descriptions that brought to life characters such as The BFG, Miss Trunchbull, Mr. Twit and The Grand High Witch.

* Roald Dahl loved chocolate and even liked learning about the history of it. He said, "If I were a headmaster, I would get rid of the history teacher and get a chocolate teacher instead."

* There are lots of names for what Roald Dahl calls "Hot-house Eggs." We call it "egg-in-a-hole" or "toad-in-a-hole." I know some people call it "chicken-in-a-basket." Whatever you call it, it is delicious!

* Roald Dahl loved to grow and eat giant onions. Sometimes there is an onion left on his grave.

[Bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know, I was eight when Roald Dahl died. I was old enough to meet him and know him. That's the only thing that could dampen my utter love and amusement while reading this book.

I could almost believe that this was written by him before his death. Maybe it's just Quentin Blake's illustrations thrown in for good measure. The facts and tidbits about him that are in this are just incredibly fun.

Yellow is a horrible color, I don't know why it's his favorite. Kit Kat Pudding is something I will be trying as soon as I can get my hands on a bag of them. And despite myself, I want to try a bacon and marmalade sandwich.

So wonderful. And what's hilarious is, while reading it, I kept thinking, "I need to write it down to remember later." Then I realized the book is mine. I don't have to return it to the library! Wheeeeeeeeeeee!

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant book. It has loads of great facts and stories about Roald Dahl nicely conveyed with simple explanation and some great illustrations by Quentin Blake.

[Chadi Raheb · Rating 4 out of 5]

یه مجموعه جمع و جور از فکت‌های بامزه درباره رولد دالِ عزیزمون :)

[meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

cutest biography ever. so many interesting tidbits about dahl and his books, arranged in alphabetical entries. it even includes recipes of funny, yummy foods he used to make. like hothouse eggs (cut a hole in a piece of bread, fry it in butter on both sides, then crack an egg in the whole and let it run all over the bread as it fries...mmmm), which we made today. it also made me really want to visit the roald dahl museum and gallery. so neat.

[Krysta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is pretty adorable, and I learned some fun things about Dahl. Things like after dinner he'd offer each guest a box of his favorite candy bars. Also if you visit his grave you'll find footseteps of the Big Friendly Giant leading up to it. The way all the bits are laid out A - Z is pretty perfect - although I kinda think Dahl would have done without all the "Don't try this at home" warnings.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun little book about Dahl!

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most fascinating insight into the world of Roald Dahl, full of facts and information about his likes, dislikes, his writing habits and his family.

Nicely set out in alphabetical order makes it easy to browse at any time, after the read is finished. And it is the sort of book that one will continually go back to in order to be reminded of some of Roald Dahl's talents or idiosyncracies.

Quentin Blake provides the illustrations which most definitely makes, in the word in the sub-title, this volume gloriumptious!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Не бях чела досега "fact-book" която толкова много да ме забавлява! Роалд Дал звучи като безкрайно интересна личност, някой, когото не можеш да забравиш, след като си срещнал.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every word is needed and the illustrations are lovely.

[Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read of one of my favourite children's author - includes interesting and random facts about his daily and personal life that are not mentioned in his other books. For everyone who grew up reading Roald Dahl or had him read to you, you will love this. Thank you, Ms Shirley, for introducing him to us in grade 2 many moons ago. We still read him today to ourselves, our kids, and our students.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

D is for delightful. Dahl was so much more than a children’s writer. He led a fascinating life. This alphabetical celebration of him is perfect for all ages.

[Ariel Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roald Dahl was an interesting man with many eccentricities! This A-Z guide is filled with funny and unique stories about his life, relationships, and books. There is some overlap with his novel “Boy” but there are many facts and stories I never knew. I love that each fact is quick to read and packed with information. A really good book, especially if you love Roald Dahl’s stories.

[Debbie Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gloriumptious book. Such fun.

Trivia and fun facts about Roald Dahl and his books.

Like this...
“Bond, James Bond ~ Shhhhh.... Is anyone reading over your shoulder? No! Good. There's a top-secret reason why Roald Dahl was exactly the right person to write the screenplay for the James Bond film You Only Live Twice. During the 1940's, in Washington, he worked for the British intelligence service on top-secret stuff. We could tell you more but then we'd have to chop you up into little pieces. Only joking!” [pg 17]

“Peach tree ~ A peach tree that Roald Dahl planted in his garden at Gipsy House didn't produce a single peach until the film of James and the Giant Peach was premiered in London. Then it grew just one perfect peach and died the following year. [pg 102]

“Private ~ No one was allowed to look at Roald Dahl's diary. At school he kept it in his lunchbox, which was always locked. At home he hid it inside a cookie tin, which was inside a toiletries bag, which was hung from the highest branch of a huge chestnut tree at the bottom of the garden. He climbed the tree every day – unless it was pouring with rain – to write in privacy. On wet days, he kept his thoughts to himself. [pg 105]

And... my favorite...
“Reading ~ Roald Dahl thought that reading was ESSENTIAL! Without it, you can't do anything in life. He didn't judge people on what they like to read, as long as they read something.”

There are many more fun and interesting tidbits in this book. I recommend it to everyone who likes Roald Dahl's books or movies.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hadn't read any other Dahl -anything since that quirky short story about the housewife who murders her husband with a frozen leg of lamb and subsequently thaws, cooks and feeds the murder weapon to the investigating detectives.....This was in a text book when I taught high school English in the late 1960's.Reminiscing about our teaching days, an old friend reminded me of the tale and so I ordered SKIN AND OTHER STORIES on line from Amazon. I ran across D IS FOR DAHL in a Kids' book display at a local thrift shop and the rest is history. I lounged through this delightful tribute for the next month, reading a few pages here and there and enjoying the tidbits of biography along with the amazingly simple yet telling illustrations by Dahl's favorite illustrator, Quentin Blake. Both are people I truly wish I'd known as friends. As of today I'm seeking out copies of his writings to fill an obvious void in my ever growing need to read the best.

[Farah · Rating 5 out of 5]

F is for Farah
*kemudian ditiban sama peach raksasanya James*

Mengikuti saran dari dosen gue dahulu, buku rujukan tidak perlu dibaca dari halaman pertama hingga halaman terakhir.

Buku ini disusun berdasarkan abjad, jadi gue pikir, oh anggep aja kamus.. Eh bukan, entri ensiklopedia. Eh.. ini biografi deng.. *pustakawan yang kelamaan jadi guru, mulai ngga bisa memutuskan jenis buku rujukan apa kah D is for Dahl ini..*

Ada banyak hal menarik yang gue temukan di buku ini:
1) Resep Olivanas
2) Resep Creamy Kit Kat Pudding
3) Bahwa gue jadi pengen mencari resep onion soup yang enak, dan
4) Tidak adanya nama Willy Wonka di section huruf W.

Itu aja sih.
*lanjut baca buku lainnya.*

[Jan Rue]

This is a wonderful ABC book written about the life and times of author Roald Dahl. It was written in 2004 but I just had to include it on my list. Roald Dahl Nominee Ltd. by Penguin Group: New York. Illustrated by Quentin Blake. I love how it tells about his childhood and shows photos of him. There is copies of hand written pages from Dahl. And it tells about his family life, how & where he would write. And it gives a little insight aobut his style of writing. As a teacher , I can glean a lot of information to share with students. And other readers (4th - onward)would enjoy reading the book themselves. I believe the illustartor is the same one who illustrated Dahl's books. Great to see the same style of pictures in this book.

[Marina Schulz · Rating 5 out of 5]

"D is for Dahl" is, without a doubt, the best and most amusing biography I've ever read!

Appearing as a series of whimsical facts and funnies about the classic author, it read as if it had really been written by the beloved Roald Dahl. I learnt a few tidbits too, not only about the author; but mainly I loved how it was laugh out loud funny.

I read this as a young girl, and it was acessible to all ages. I can genuinely recommend this to all ages, be they younger and just discovering Roald, or older and nostalgic. It really is brilliant. I don't even think you have to be a fan to enjoy "D is for Dahl", but it certainly helps.

[Alicea · Rating 5 out of 5]

D is for Dahl is one of those fantastically quick and fun reads that I think every parent should read with their child (or in my case the adult with the heart of a child). This book is especially fun for those fans of the writer who may not know much about the man himself. He was such a unique, kind individual and that spirit shone through in his writings for both children and adults. To learn about the eccentricities of his private life is to have your estimation of the character of Dahl increase exponentially. For something delightfully funny with a fast pace, this is the perfect book to pick up.

[anna lete' · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book last Christmas. That is, December 18 2006. Actually, I kinda forced my friend JM to buy it for me. Well, he asked me what I wanted and I said I wanted this book. It costs like... a lot!

So, this book is all about Roald Dahl. It's not about his life. It's like a dictionary about him. It's really great. I like it 'cause I'm a Roald Dahl fan. It's just jam packed with all sorts of facts and fun things about Roald Dahl. It's great if you're one of his loyal fans. :D

[Madison LibraryBookFamily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roald Dahl has been one of my favorite children's author for a long time. I loved all the fascinating facts I discovered about him in this book. Did you know that he wrote a James Bond movie and helped come up with the villans in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? I didn't. This book is full of fun facts that make you want to go back and read all of his books. I highly recommend this for children and adults. (A lot more fun than reading Boy in my opinion.)

[MaGgIe :) $$$$$]

Have you ever read any boks from Roald Dahl? Did you ever think that there is meanings to his books? His books all express him and this book is all about him. I think it is pretty fasinating to learn about one of my favorite authors. "D Is For Dahl" goes deeper in Roald Dahl's life and some of his really random facts. Dahl is definetly in my top five favorite authors! He rocks! B2

[e.c.h.a · Rating 4 out of 5]

Senang rasanya membaca buku ini, mengenal lebih dekat dengan sosok Roald Dahl. Bagaimana kehidupan masa kecilnya, proses kreatinya. Kisah-kisah yang ditulis oleh Roald Dahl sangat dekat dengan kesehariannya.

Tidak akan kebayang kalau Roald Dahl tidak pernah ada, tidak ada Matilda, tidak ada James, tidak ada Charlie Bucket.

Terima kasih banyak Opa Roald Dahl.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn't looked very carefully at the description of this book and had thought it was a traditional biography, which it certainly isn't, though it does contain a number of snippets from Dahl's life. It's more a celebration of his work, aimed at *young* fan's of his children's books. Though I found it rather fun and sometimes amusing,I think its target audience would enjoy it more.

[Cam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love learning more about the authors who's works I adore. This simply written book revealed so much about Roald Dahl in the style that he would have wanted. Funny, silly, interesting and meaningful. So much of what mattered to me from his books, mean more now that I understand some of the history behind those stories.