Roald Dahl Titles as Read-Alouds

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

What age do you think would be appropriate to begin Roald Dahl read-alouds? Which would you say is the most accessible to read first?

 

I know they have darker parts, which is part of my concern. Would they be too much for a 3yo? A 5yo? A 7yo?

[Bluegoat]

My kids got really into them at about 6.  I would let a younger child listen though.  They seem to like the dark parts the best.

 

The BFG might be a good place to start.

[desertflower]

My kids are about the same ages as yours.  I read to the older 2 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a couple of months ago.  They loved it.  This wouldn't hold my youngest attention. 

 

Mr. Fantastic Fox is fine as well.

 

This is where we started.  There weren't any dark places.   

[SparklyUnicorn]

It really depends on the book.  I have never been too overly concerned with this, but there were a couple of his books that looking back I would avoid reading to a kid who was too young. 

 

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me was cute and I recall doing that as a read aloud.  James and the Giant Peach too.

 

Ok, but then there was one I did as a read aloud (that I cannot remember the title of) where the basic plot is the kid in the story tries to come up with ways to kill his grandmother who is mean and he is sick of having to help take care of (something like that).  That was a bit "rough" for a young kids book I think.

 

 

[kristin0713]

We read James and the Giant Peach when they were 8 and 6.  I'll be honest, I don't like him at all.  There is a lot of literature out there that is so much more worth our time IMO.  

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

We read James and the Giant Peach when they were 8 and 6.  I'll be honest, I don't like him at all.  There is a lot of literature out there that is so much more worth our time IMO.  

 

Glad I'm not the only person who doesn't like RD!  My kids read The BFG with DH about age 7, and we listened to Matilda on audio last year, so about ages 6 and 8.  The 3yo listened along, but probably didn't get anything out of it.  

 

He is most definitely not my cup of tea, so we're done with RD unless one of the kids just wants to read one on their own.  They are not so bad that I would actually forbid them, but definitely not my "thing".

[J-rap]

I still remember one of the first books my teachers read to me was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  That made a lasting impression on me!  (A good one.  :))  It totally swept me away!  However, I was probably in 2nd or 3rd grade.  Otherwise, I wonder if BFG would be a good one.  They're coming out with a movie on it this summer, I think, and it looks very good!  Might be fun to read the book first.

 

Then again, the trailer for the movie looked like it might be a little scary for a 3-year-old.  So in the end, I guess I'm not much help.  Sorry!

[Fardo]

 

Ok, but then there was one I did as a read aloud (that I cannot remember the title of) where the basic plot is the kid in the story tries to come up with ways to kill his grandmother who is mean and he is sick of having to help take care of (something like that).  That was a bit "rough" for a young kids book I think.

 

George's Marvellous Medicine maybe?

 

Esio Trot  and The Twits are on the shorter side, so are good for younger kids with shorter attentions spans, although neither are "nice" or moral books, so you might want to check the plot's on Wiki. 

. 

[mathnerd]

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was the first one that DS read at age 6ish I think. Then, he read Fantastic Mr Fox - and DS is extremely sensitive and was very upset (tears and panic) when the Fox's tail got shot off - so, if your kids are sensitive like that, you might want to read the others and get to this later.

 

The 2 Dahl biographies - Boy and Going Solo were very enjoyable and humorous reads too. So, make sure to add them to your list.

Edited April 26, 2016 by mathnerd

[WahM]

I don't think they're too young, but I guess it would depend on your kids. We like Roald Dahl. In addition to some of the others mentioned Danny the Champion of the World is a great read aloud.

Edited April 26, 2016 by WahM

[Vida Winter]

My youngest daughter latched onto Matilda at a very young age, maybe about 4yo. We read it together and then she read it herself several times (the one child who was an early reader).

[lizlatorre]

I think Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has the widest appeal - three of my kids enjoyed that book, while only my son enjoyed his other works.

[BrittanyM]

We read The BFG earlier this year with my 7 and 5 year old and they both adored it. It is one of their favorite books now!

 

 

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[Jackie]

We read a couple of them with my daughter when she was 4, several this year at age 5, and plan on more over the next couple years.

 

The Minpins was a fantastic first Dahl book for us. It's a long format picture book, one of his lesser known books, and the story is milder than some of the usual Dahl themes. After that, we listened to the audio of The BFG (which I recommend because it's a difficult book to read aloud) and James and the Giant Peach.

[3 ladybugs]

We read the BFG to our daughter when she was the gestation age of about 30 weeks. So there is no "too young" to me. They do have darker bits to them but as a parent I am sure you could either skim over them if your child couldn't handle it, or explain it to them if they have questions. 

[Tanaqui]

You know, it's funny, I loved Dahl's books when I was a kid. And yet, I've had no interest whatsoever in reading them to the girls, or encouraging the girls to read them. And I don't know why! They haven't been infested by the Suck Fairy, nor any of her more nefarious brethren, we've just had other things to read.

 

With that said, it really depends on the book and your child. Some children are enthralled by The Real Fairy Tales from the age of two, and aren't satisfied unless Granny gets eaten by the wolf, Rapunzel's boyfriend goes blind, and Vasilisa's sisters get burned to ashes. Others are twelve and still hiding their eyes behind their hands if the movie suddenly puts on a suspenseful soundtrack, even if they've seen it a thousand times.

 

Unfortunately, Roald Dahl is one of those polarizing authors. He doesn't shy away from dealing with hard truths for kids... which means some kids will never like his books, and some parents won't either. I really suggest you read the books and decide for yourself if they're right for your kids. The rest of us don't know your children. We can't answer this question.

[ExcitedMama]

I read DS Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at 5 and it continues to be one of his favorites and he loves listening to the audio book still. Then I read the sequel which we really should have skipped. Shortly after I read him The BFG and he enjoyed it. Unfortunately I had never read any Dahl before so I wrongly thought to just keep reading them to him and got the Witches for Halloween which was a huge mistake! He was terrified and asked me to stop, which I'm still bummed about because I thought it was interesting but I'm sure at some point he will be up for trying it again. I don't think you can go wrong with Charlie. It's pretty great. The BFG does start off a little scary with the child kidnapped but it works out well pretty quickly and could be fun to read if you might want to see the movie when it comes out.

[Ninanoo]

My daughter was 7 I believe when we read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It is one of her favorite books. We've read it twice. We read half of Matilda with an audio book and never finished it. We recently read the BFG (she is 9) and she loved it. I would have been okay with her reading the BFG at 7 or 8.

[jjeepa]

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a read aloud for my daughter when she was 8.  She loved it and read the rest of his books for young people on her own- Matilda is still one of her favorite books and she's 12 now.  I just asked her what she thought was the "least scary" Dahl book and she recommended Charlie.  Enjoy!

[Meadowlark]

I think Charlie and James and the Giant Peach are just adorable books. I personally think Roald Dahl is pure genius. We've also read the BFG, and the Witches (would wait on that-kind of scary) Just love his books.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Meadowlark

[calihil]

I've read Charlie, Matilda, and Fantastic Mr. Fox to my 7, 5, and 3 yr olds. They've been fine.

[Targhee]

Depends on the kid. Three of mine love read alouds, one doesn't, and that one would not have sat for a book at 3. She barely does at 4.5 (and not for long). She would sit for picture books though.

 

I read The BFG to my three oldest when they were 3, 5, and 7. They loved it - I loved it (got into character voices and everything)!

 

I think Fantastic Mr Fox is a good starter Dahl too.

[Bluegoat]

George's Marvellous Medicine maybe?

 

Esio Trot  and The Twits are on the shorter side, so are good for younger kids with shorter attentions spans, although neither are "nice" or moral books, so you might want to check the plot's on Wiki. 

. 

 

Gosh, I think all of his books are very moralistic.  I haven't read Esio Trot but I would certainly put The Twits in that catagory.  They are bad and selfish, and so they end up shrinking away to nothing as a result of their own nastiness.

[Soror]

We love Dahl. I like to start with The Giraffe, Pelly and Me but the Minpins is another good one as mentioned. I was just planning our lit for next year and trying to decide what Dahl book to read, I'm thinking we'll do James and the Giant Peach, we did Danny Champion of the World and a re-read of The Giraffe, Pelly and Me this year with my 11, 5,2 and 8yo. Danny was pretty much for ds and Giraffe was for everybody- the 2yo of course listening just here and there.

Edited April 27, 2016 by soror