Book Summary: James has to go live with his two mean aunts after his parents are killed in an accident. James is very unhappy there until he meets a man who gives him some magic tongues from crocodiles. That begins a domino effect of events when James drops the tongue; it turns into a giant peach. A centipede, an earthworm, a ladybug, a grasshopper, a spider and a glow worm live inside that peach. James decides to join these creatures and they begin to travel the world until they land in an ocean where sharks attack until James catches a seagull to carry the peach away. They end up in My Impressions: This book begins very slowly and was very difficult to get into. The aunts were so cruel, locking James in the basement, not allowing him to attend school, to play with other children and were denied food. However, when James becomes friends with all of the insects in the peach the book begins to get more intriguing. I love Dahl’s word play throughout the book including “But don’t forget to sprinkle them with a pinch of grime.”
Professional Review: Horn Book starred (September, 1996)
The text in this new edition remains unchanged, but the book is updated with Smith's black-and-white pencil sketches. His interpretation of the fantasy -- which contemporary young readers will recognize from Disney's film version -- is not quite as magical as Burkert's delightful renderings in the original edition. The new edition will suffice, but readers shouldn't skip the first.Library Uses: Dahl does a great job with word play. A librarian could do an ongoing lesson on idioms using the book James and the Giant Peach.
Dahl, R. (1961). James and the Giant Peach, New York
Books. Parrish, O. (1996, September) Book Review for James and the
Giant Peach. [Review for the book James and the Giant Peach by
R. Dahl]. Horn Book 72 (5), p 75.
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