تشپ کال

by Roald Dahl, محبوبه نجف‌خانی (Translator), Quentin Blake (Illustrator)

این مرد چرا می‌خواهد لاک‌پشت شود؟ تا به حال دل‌تان خواسته که به چیز دیگری تبدیل شوید؟ شرط می‌بندم که آن‌چیز لاک‌پشت نبوده! این داستان درباره‌ی مردی خجالتی است که عاشق زنی مهربان شده است. کم‌کم سر و کله‌ی لاک‌پشت هم در داستان پیدا می‌شود. آیا لاک‌پشت‌ها می‌توانند، مرد را به زن برسانند؟ چه‌طوری؟

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Classics, Fantasy, Young Adult, Animals

64 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 1990

About the author

Roald Dahl was a beloved British author, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter pilot, best known for his enchanting and often darkly humorous children's books that have captivated generations of readers around the world. Born in Llandaff, Wales, to Norwegian parents, Dahl led a life marked by adventure, tragedy, creativity, and enduring literary success. His vivid imagination and distinctive storytelling style have made him one of the most celebrated children's authors in modern literature.
Before becoming a writer, Dahl lived a life filled with excitement and hardship. He served as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II, surviving a near-fatal crash in the Libyan desert. His wartime experiences and travels deeply influenced his storytelling, often infusing his works with a sense of danger, resilience, and the triumph of the underdog. After the war, he began writing for both adults and children, showing a rare versatility that spanned genres and age groups.
Dahl's children's books are known for their playful use of language, unforgettable characters, and a deep sense of justice, often pitting clever children against cruel or foolish adults. Some of his most iconic titles include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox, and The Witches. These works are filled with fantastical elements and moral undertones, empowering young readers to challenge authority, think independently, and believe in the impossible.
Equally acclaimed for his work for adults, Dahl wrote numerous short stories characterized by their macabre twists and dark humor. His stories were frequently published in magazines such as The New Yorker and later compiled into bestselling collections like Someone Like You and Kiss Kiss. He also wrote screenplays, including the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and the adaptation of Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Despite his literary success, Dahl was a complex and sometimes controversial figure, known for his strong opinions and difficult personality. Nonetheless, his books continue to be treasured for their wit, originality, and the sense of wonder they inspire. Many of his stories have been adapted into successful films, stage plays, and television specials, further cementing his legacy.
Dahl's impact on children's literature is immeasurable. His ability to connect with young readers through a mix of irreverence, heart, and imagination has made his stories timeless. Even after his death, his books remain in print and continue to be read by millions of children worldwide. His writing not only entertains but also encourages curiosity, courage, and compassion.
Roald Dahl's work lives on as a testament to the power of storytelling and the magic of a truly original voice. He remains a towering figure in literature whose creations continue to spark joy, mischief, and inspiration across generations.

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fuck this book. Don't read it to your kids. That's the short version.

If you want the longer version, settle in. We're going to have a bumpy ride.

Also. There's spoilers here. And cussing. And some indignation. Be warned.

I've always thought of myself as a bit of Roald Dahl fan. I read BFG growing up and loved it. I watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and loved it.

But recently, my love dimmed a bit when I read James and the Giant Peach, a book that was a serious boatload of meh. A nickel's worth of story in a dollar-long book.

And don't you DARE say, "Oh it's just a children's book." Or "Kids don't know any better." Or "You can't hold YA fiction to the standards of…"

Stop. Just stop. That's such bullshit that it's an insult to the word 'bullshit.' Kid's books should be just as good as any other books. No. They should be held to a *higher* standard than other literature for the same reason that we take extra care with children's food.

The fact is, what you feed your kids is important, and that includes what they put in their heads as well as what they put in their bellies.

So let's talk about this book: Esio Trot.

In this story, you have Mr. Hopper. He loves two things, the flowers he grew on his balcony, and his downstairs neighbor. Mrs. Silver.

He's terribly lonely and he's terribly shy.

His downstairs neighbor, Mrs. Silver, has a pet tortoise that she adores. The tortoise is named Alfie, he lives on Mrs. Silver's balcony, and Mr. Hoppy is terribly jealous of him.

One day, Mrs. Silver laments to Mr. Hoppy. (They talk while on their balconies. She with her turtle, him tending his garden.) She's had Alfie for eleven years, and he's still tiny. She wishes he would get bigger. "I'd give *anything* to make that happen," she says.

Mr. Hoppy gets all twitterpated hearing this, so he lies to her, telling her he knows a magic spell that will help her tortoise grow. And I quote:

"I beg you to tell me, Mr. Hoppy. I'll be your slave for life!"

When he heard the words your slave for life a shiver of excitement swept through Mr Hoppy.

End quote.

So he gives her some bullshit he makes up, telling her it's a spell he learned from a Bedouin. Then he goes out and buys a hundred tortoises. Then he builds a long grabber arm of the sort you would use if you wanted to, say, steal someone's tortoise off the balcony right below yours.

At this point I thought to myself, "He's not doing what I'm thinking, is he? Then I flipped a couple pages, and told my son that it was bedtime and we'd finish the book tomorrow.

Disappointed, he went to bed. I finished the book.

Here's what happens: Mr. Hoppy spends the next two months slowly replacing Mrs. Silver's pet with progressively larger tortoises.

Mrs. Silver is amazed by this, of course. And out of gratitude, she marries Mr Hoppy.

Then Mr. Hoppy gives away all the tortoises. Including Alfie, Mrs. Silver's pet of 11 years.

Do I really need to explain to anyone that this is fucked up?

Do I feel bad for Mr. Hoppy? This lonely, shy man? Do I empathize with the fact that he loves someone but can't bring himself to tell her? Hell yes. I've *been* that guy. Sure.

But his actions are fucking awful here. And their matter-of-factness makes them doubly awful. Hey there lads" it seems to say, "Love a girl? Here's what you can do! Lie to her, trick her, steal from her, make her obligated to you, then you get to be in a relationship!"

And that's not even touching on the subject that Mrs. Silver is shown to be a complete fucking idiot, who recites a magic spell three times a day to make her tortoise grow. Then fails to notices when her beloved pet of 11 years is exchanged for a completely different animal, not just once, but several, several times….

Suffice to say the next night when my boy asked to read the rest of the story, I deviated from the original script.

This was made a little more difficult by the fact that the book is heavily illustrated. But even so, I was fairly confident I could do better than Dahl's original "trick her into marrying you" storyline.

In my version, in addition to buying a bunch of tortoises and building a tortoise-grabber, Mr Hoppy also goes to the grocery store and buys a bunch of vegetables. He then spends the rest of the week inventing recipes for tortoises and testing them on his new pets, figuring out which ones are the most delicious to tortoises.

Then, every night, he uses his long-armed tortoise grabber to lift Alfie up to his apartment where he feeds him delicious food. And, as we all know, when you eat more, you get bigger, right?

He discovers that what Alfie likes best is some of the flowers Mr. Hoppy grows on his balcony. The flowers Mr. Hoppy loves.

So Mr. Hoppy uses these flowers from his garden in his recipes. (I described these to my boy in some detail to pad out the story. I am a fantasy author after all.) Mr. Hoppy feeds Alfie every night, and Alfie grows bigger and bigger and bigger…

Finally, Mrs. Silver is overcome with joy and invites Mr Hoppy down to her apartment to show off her lovely tortoise. She thanks Mr. Hoppy for his magic spell, and asks him if he'd like to have tea.

Over tea, Mr. Hoppy says, "Mrs. Silver, I have a confession to make."

"Yes?" she says.

"That spell wasn't really magic," he said. "I just made it up."

"Really?" Mrs. Silver said.

"Yes," Mr. Hoppy said. "I've been feeding Alfie special recipes every night so he would grow bigger."

"Oh Mr. Hoppy," Mrs. Silver said. "I already knew that. But I'm so glad you told me yourself."

"You knew?" he said.

"You silly man," she said. "The balcony is right outside two huge windows, just like yours is. How could I not see you grabbing him every night?"

"Ahhh." Mr. Hoppy said, feeling rather embarrassed. He'd thought he was being pretty clever. "You're right of course. I did. You caught me. But I did it because I love you. I knew Alfie was really important to you, and I wanted you to be happy."

"I know that too," Mrs. Silver said. "I'm so glad you're finally brave enough to tell me!"

Then they get married.

I would have preferred for them to go out to coffee and have a date instead, but there was a picture of them getting married in the book, so I had to leave that part in.

In my version, they also worked together to publish a book of recipes for tortoises, and used that money to start a tortoise park, where Mr. Hoppy put his 100 now surplus-to-requirements pets.

But apparently I was pushing my luck there. When I told him the last part, Oot gave me a look. "Did you make that up?" he asked.

"Ahh," I said. "You're right of course. I did. You caught me. But I did it because I love you."

[Lily (LilyCReads)]

2nd book complete

[Miranda Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for marital implications and pet care.

The Fundamental Three Facts
1) Mr. Hoppy is in love with his neighbor, Mrs. Silver.
2) Mrs. Silver adores her pet tortoise, Alfie, but worries about how small he is.
3) Mr. Hoppy gives Mrs. Silver a "magic" spell. Aka, he kidnaps Alfie, slowly replacing him with larger tortoises (pretending all the while it's the same tortoise).

Ex-CUSE me??

Sure, it's cute to read about Mr. Hoppy wooing Mrs. Silver but don't forget, Mr. Hoppy deceives Mrs. Silver. And that poor unwitting widow marries the him.

This man crammed over a hundred tortoises into one small apartment for this grand scheme. And he only fed them lettuce. Those poor fellas. They need a nutritionally diverse diet and UV light.

AND - poor Alfie. Alfie lived with Mrs. Silver for eleven years but as soon as Mr. Hoppy swaps him out, Mrs. Silver couldn't tell the difference. Does friendship mean nothing? Thank goodness Dahl includes a bit at the end where we find out that Alfie lived a very happy life with a little girl who loved him. Phew.

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[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute and entertaining little story that the intended target age group will find funny and ingenious with a happy ending for all. As an adult, I find Mr. Hoppy’s duplicitous methods overshadow his good intentions and sour the purposeful sweet spirit.

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is yet another wonderful story from Roald Dahl - this time of middle-aged love thanks to some turtles and some clever swapping by Mr. Hoppy. I am sure that he and Mrs Silver are perfect for each other and happy that Alfie found a new home. This is a story that you can read in about 30 minutes to your child and it is a pure delight for both you and your kid!

[sarafem · Rating 1 out of 5]

At first I thought "Awww...pretty cute story!" And then Reality-Sara bitchslapped mushy All-Books-Are-Super!-Sara because this story breaks all former immorality and suckosity records in the entire world history of written word.

Esio Trot tells our young children that we can all build beautiful relationships built upon deceit and lies and obsession. They also learn that men are clever and women are idiots, and that it's quite all right to neglect your interchangeable and therefore worthless pets.

It's thankfully a small book, so the torture is short-lived, and don't forget, if there are any children you particularly hate, this will be a great stocking stuffer come Christmas!

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the hell, Roald Dahl?


If I had a pet I loved more than anything else in the world, I would FUCKING NOTICE if it was stolen by the creepy asshole upstairs and replaced with a different animal, even if I was as daft as Mrs. Silver. Also, children learn things from their books. Do we really want to teach them that the way to have a healthy relationship is to first lie, then steal something beloved, then GIVE THAT THING AWAY?



I can't even.

I can't.

What the hell.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful story by Dahl I have never read, but heard much about over the past few months. Magically penned and thoroughly interesting for readers of all ages. Mr. Hoppy has long had his eye on his neighbour, Mrs. Silver. While it is an innocent admiration, Mr. Hoppy soon learns that Mrs. Silver's only love is directed towards her tortoise, Alfie. This tortoise seems to possess a weight-related issue that Mrs. Silver has said plagues her. Might solving it be the way into her heart? After concocting a plan than involves a magical spell and daily recitations, Mr. Hoppy takes matters into his own hands and has Mrs. Silver follow his direction. Alfie seems to grow on a daily basis and Mrs. Silver is ecstatic at the change. However, Mr. Hoppy must be careful not to tip his hand, or he may lose Mrs. Silver forever. A great story that keeps the young reader wondering until the very last page. Perfect for anyone who needs a short repose and quick entertainment.

Dahl has mastered yet another short piece for his young readers. Steering away from the completely silly, the story holds a strong possibility of truth, though one can never know what ideas Dahl uses for his writing. Two central characters pull the readers in from the outset and the story progresses nicely from there, if only to take a few twists that keep things interesting. Basing some of the animal characteristics on pets owned by the Dahl children, the author finds a way to connect his own family to this well-developed piece. One can only hope that there are other stories out there that have just as much humour and excitement, perfect for readers of all ages.

Kudos, Mr. Dahl for pulling me out of my 'shell' and taking the time to read this. I have loved most everything you have penned, which seems to be biographical in some way.

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[☾❀Apple✩ Blossom⋆｡˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Tortoise, Tortoise get bigger, bigger. Come on Tortoise grow up, puff up, shoot up! Spring up, Blow up swell up! Gorge! Guzzle! Stuff! Gulp! Put on fat, Tortoise, Put on fat! get on, Get on! Gobble food!!”



In this short, cute and imaginative love story, we meet a man of questionable morals who deceives a pretty widow to gain her love, by making her believe he can shrink and enlarge her pet tortoise at his will. Very funny idea and illustrations, I wonder what passed in Dahl's crazy head when he decided to write this odd little number! And wonderful Quentin Blake illustrations, as always.

[Holly (The GrimDragon) · Rating 1 out of 5]

When he heard the words your slave for life, a little shiver of excitement swept through Mr. Hoppy.

So this is supposed to be a fucking horror novel, right? Right? A thriller where this insanely lonesome man stalks his downstairs neighbor & then KIDNAPS her beloved pet tortoise? Eventually convincing the none too bright female object of his affection to marry him? Then sends Alfie, her tortoise, back to the pet store. Where, thankfully, Alfie lucks out & ends up with a good family. The same cannot be said for Mrs. Silver..

I read this for an Instagram readalong of Dahl books, which is going on for the entire month of August. This was one of two books in his entire collection that I do not recall reading. It is a tiny little book, perfect for reading to my wee dragons this afternoon. Boy, was I wrong! My daughter did give it three stars, but her taste is still somewhat questionable ^_^

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Tis indeed a grand romantic gesture on Mr. Hoppy's part as he does whatever it takes to win Mrs. Silver's affections . . . but are lies and deception really the best way to start off a relationship?

This is definitely not one of Dahl's best, but it's better than no Dahl at all.

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

not everything in life is fair.

the popularity of certain roald dahl books and lack of popularity of others is, though.

because what on earth was this?

part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find this story of middle-aged love delightful. It's also the first chapter book that my oldest, now 13, read all the way through. He read it aloud to me when he was in kindergarten, and we both adored it.

Reread 2018: Since the first time I read this (or had it read to me) I've seen a ton of reviews bashing it and how sexist it is. I really don't think so. First we have to consider that it's old, second we have to consider the ending. Mr. Hoppy is over the moon that Mrs. Silver says she will be his "slave for life!" if he can help her get her tortoise to grow. But he's in love with her, and she with him, actually. He doesn't make her his "slave," they get married and are happy. I also saw several comments about the "poor tortoises." Which is weird. It explains exactly what happens to all the tortoises involved, and they lead very happy lives. It's a cute story. Don't overthink it.

[Maede · Rating 3 out of 5]

آقای هاپی مسن و تنها از بالکن پر از گل و گلدان خونه‌ش هر روز خانم سیلور رو در بالکن پایینی می‌بینه و دیوانه‌وار عاشقشه. اما خجالتی‌تر از اینه که بتونه علاقه‌ش رو ابراز کنه، تا اینکه راه ورود به قلب خانم سیلور رو پیدا می کنه
لاکپشت عزیزش
و اینجاست که همه چیز شروع میشه

این آخرین کتاب رولد داله که در زمان حیاتش چاپ شده و نوشته‌ی اول خودش برام خیلی جالب بود. توضیح میده که داستان مربوط به روزهایی هست که از هر پِت‌شاپی می‌شد لاکپشت خرید، اما این روزها ممنوع شده، چون لاکپشت‌ها در حین جا به جایی به انگلیس خیلی عذاب می‌کشیدند.
رولد دال حیوان دوست عزیزم❤️

۱۳۹۸/۱۲/۲۰

کتاب رو می‌تونید از اینجا دانلود کنید
Maede's Books

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is such a simple, straightforward and very (grown up) human story at the heart of 'Esio Trot' and it does feel somehow different from many other Dahl books in it's nature. The characters here are the key and are so well written. The humour in 'Esio Trot' is of a very gentle and affectionate kind.

This is a short book and a great story told by a master. To call it a 'feel-good' novel would somehow belittle and stereotype this lovely book, but there is definitely something very heart-warming here about people, life and the human spirit.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

A curious love story. Mr. Hoppy and Mrs. Silver live in apartments on top of one another and they see each other around their balcony. Mr. Hoppy is shy and doesn't really talk to her unless it's about her turtle. He even comes up with magic words which the title is part of tortoise spelled backwards that he gives Mrs. Silver to help the turtle grow bigger. The story feels a little deceitful and it's also simply fun and I find myself enjoying the silly antics of Mr. Hoppy. It's a short little read with of Roald Dahl's wit and imagination. I enjoyed this charming story.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swaroop's comment reminded me how nostalgic this book is. When I was in Grade 2, which was eons ago, my library teacher would read Esio Trot to us in a dramatic, West-End tier performance voice and we would squeal with excitement. It's actually a sweet story, since you seldom read about an older couple finding love. Especially when a turtle is the plot device

In short: bumping this up to 4 stars because of nostalgia. Why? Because I can.

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[Keith Bruton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a short fun read!

4.1/5

[Lesle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit shy and quiet, tending to his flowers is Mr Hoppy who is totally in love with his neighbor Mrs Silver. She adores her tortoise Alfie even though Alfie is well pampered does not seem to grow. Mr Hoppy takes on the challenge of being the cleverest man with his spell in hopes of love to follow. You will be surprised as what length Mr Hoppy goes to, to impress Mrs Silver. Many tortoises are involved and Alfie ranges in size from 15 0z to 27 oz.

A fun and enjoyable short read from a wonderful teller of stories. Very well written with Dahl’s dry humor and wit.

PS: Please do not over think this! It is just a delightful read for the young at heart it deserves a rousing cheer!!

In 2015 it was adapted by Richard Curtis into a BBC television film, Roald Dahl's Esio Trot, featuring Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench as the couple, with James Corden narrating. This turned out to be a very fun movie to watch after reading the book it made for more laughter!

[Amira Mahmoud · Rating 1 out of 5]

لا أدري كيف لقصة كهذه من المفترض أنها تُقدم للأطفال أن تقدم لهم الكذب في صورة رومانسية هكذا دون أن تلمح ولو مجرد تلميح إلى قبحه أو احتمالية اكتشافه ولو من بعيد، جميل أن نحاول الوصول لمن نحب بأي وسيلة كانت لكن ليس بالطبع الكذب من بينها!

[Arghiiw · Rating 2 out of 5]

• آخرین کتاب ۴۰۲ 🥲

از اون کتاب‌ها که آدم نمی‌دونه جیغ بکشه ازشون فرار کنه یا بخنده بهشون:))
بالاخره رولد داله و ایده‌های عجیب غریبش دیگه.

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so I read this as a sort of long distance buddy read with my seven year old niece. We’ve both got a boxset of Roald Dahl books. Mainly because she fell in love with mine while we read a couple of them together when she came to visit last year, so her mum got her a set too. She absolutely loves books and reading. Anyway, we decided to start our long distance buddy read with Esio Trot. We both read the book in our own homes, then as soon as we finished it, Daisy rung me to discuss the book.

Her favourite part was the ending. I won’t go into details, as it might spoil the story. As for me, I loved Mr Hoppy and his swapping of tortoises. It entertained my mischievous side. We both had fun with the back-to-front words too. Overall, this is a fun feel-good story that we both enjoyed. I’ve been instructed by Daisy to give this 5 stars. Our plan is to read The Magic Finger next.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

“‘Esio Trot’, it’s Tortoise spelt backwards”

Another of my favourite Dahl stories as a kid as Mr Hoppy a shy old man develops a bonkers scheme to impress he’s neighbour Mrs. Silver.
She just wants her little tortoise to grow slightly larger.

The mad brain scheme sees Mr Hoppy buys as many tortoises as possible and slowly lowers the next size down each day after convincing Mrs. Silver that he knows a magic rhythm that will help the little fella grow.

It’s such a fun quick read, the illustrations of Mr Poppy trying to juggle all the tortoise are such fun!
A timeless classic!

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really a huge fan of Roald Dahl's so I want to read as many of his stories as I can, while at the same time I'm dreading running out of stories to read. *lol*

This shorter story (shorter when compared to my favourites) is a cute little story about loneliness; about elderly people still wanting love and having a life; about ingenuity. Specifically, we have Mr. Hoppy, who lives in an apartment above Mrs. Silver, with whom he is in love. But he's also shy and doesn't know how to approach her - until her pet, the tortoise Alfie, gives him the perfect chance.


The problem I had with this was that Mr. Hoppy tricked Mrs. Silver and supposedly never told her the truth. It was all innocent and sweet and funny, but it still left me cringing a bit.

What I liked, considering the animals and pet shops portrayed in this story, was that the author included a foreword where he explained to the children (or adults) reading his book what pet shops were like then and now and why policy had to change.
Moreover, the author showed once again just how many ideas are floating around his head and how much he can do with simple tricks (like the "secret" of the magic language).

The book features the signature illustrations by Quentin Blake (mine, luckily, in black-and-white, not coloured like the example above).

Oh, did you know that this was made into a movie? Apparently it was, starring Judi Dench and Dustin Hoffman!

[KaleidoscopicCasey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one as a child and loved it so this summer when I was looking for read aloud books for my then 5 year old this one made my short list. I Loved Roald Dahl books as a child and couldn't wait to start reading them to my son. This one is significantly shorter than the other books I wanted to tackle with him so I thought this would be a good place to start.

I figured we would start it and see how far we got before he got too fidgety to pay attention but we ended up reading it in one sitting. He was really into it the entire time I was reading but didn't have much to say, for the most part he just listened.

After we finished reading it I asked him what he thought.
"Mom, I can't believe she married him after he lied to her."

I was floored. Not only did that never occur to me when I read it as a kid, but i didn't even pick up on that as an issue as we were reading it aloud this time around.

I don't care what anybody says, raising kids is hard, but raising kids that are kind and considerate is infinitely harder. In that single moment I felt like maybe I'm not totally screwing my kid up.

[Maricruz]

Mi hijo y yo hemos llegado a la misma conclusión: las cosas no se hacen así, viejo cabr*n mentiroso.

[Kian · Rating 3 out of 5]

داستانی دیگر از رولد دال که با طنز و خلاقیت خاص او، ماجرای عشق پنهان آقای هاپی به همسایه‌اش، خانم سیلور، را روایت می‌کند. آقای هاپی، مردی خجالتی و تنها، عاشق خانم سیلور است، اما جرئت ابراز احساساتش را ندارد. خانم سیلور نیز تمام توجه خود را به لاکپشت کوچکش، آلفی، معطوف کرده است. آقای هاپی برای جلب توجه و محبت خانم سیلور، نقشه‌ای هوشمندانه اما فریبکارانه می‌ریزد: او با جابه‌جا کردن لاک‌پشت‌ها و استفاده از یک عبارت جادویی، خانم سیلور را متقاعد می‌کند که آلفی در حال رشد کردن است.

یکی از جذاب‌ترین جنبه‌های داستان، سوالی است که در ذهن خواننده ایجاد می‌کند: آیا عشق آقای هاپی واقعی است وقتی که بر پایه یک فریب بنا شده است؟ از یک طرف، آقای هاپی صادقانه عاشق خانم سیلور است و تمام تلاشش را می‌کند تا او را خوشحال کند. از طرف دیگر، رابطه آن‌ها بر پایه یک دروغ شکل گرفته است. این موضوع خواننده را به فکر وامی‌دارد که آیا عشق واقعی نیاز به صداقت کامل دارد یا گاهی اوقات یک فریب کوچک می‌تواند به خوشبختی منجر شود؟

این کتاب نه تنها برای کودکان، بلکه برای بزرگسالان نیز لذت‌بخش است و سوالات جالبی درباره ماهیت عشق و روابط مطرح می‌کند. اگرچه نقشه آقای هاپی بر پایه یک فریب است، اما نیت او خیرخواهانه و عشقش واقعی به نظر می‌رسد. این داستان به ما یادآوری می‌کند که گاهی اوقات، عشق می‌تواند به شکل‌های غیرمنتظره‌ای ظاهر شود.

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[Helen Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful story. Amazing what one will do for love!

[Sophie Narey (Bookreview- aholic) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published: 6/11/2003
Author: Roald Dahl
Recommended for: pretty much everybody!

I think that this is one of the sweetest books that Roald Dahl has done! In this book it features Mr Hoppy who is hopelessly in love with Mrs Silver however there is a problem.....she has her heart filled with love for her tortoise Alfie. In the book Mr Hoppy comes up with a cunning plan to try and win Mrs Siler's heart. It is a fun, lighthearted, sweet book, that in my opinion is great for any aged reader, it is a tireless classic by one of the best childrens author with the excellent illustrations by the talented Quentin Blake. A must read for everybody.

[Amina (ⴰⵎⵉⵏⴰ) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know what to say, really.