We’ve seen witches round these parts before – in a Czech edition of the Roald Dahl story illustrated by Adolf Born. And here they are again, this time drawn by German illustrator Amelie Glienke. So why are there all these different versions of this book, particularly as it’s one of Quentin Blake’s finest Dahl collaborations? …
Wes Anderson’s stop-motion adaptation of Fantastic Mr Fox is undoubtedly the best film of any of Dahl’s children’s books. But I was a bit unsure about the ending (spoiler alert). The original sees the Fox family ingeniously outwitting the waiting farmers by tunnelling into their store rooms and feasting on their supplies. Anderson takes them …
Happy Roald Dahl day everyone! Before you stick your face in the chocolate lake in celebration, why not gorge on these pictures from the original edition of The Magic Finger. The Magic Finger was the first Dahl book I remember reading. As an introduction to his children’s books it’s slightly unrepresentative, and perhaps bears more …
In 1993, between finishing school and going to University, I spent a few months in Prague. I think you’d call this a gap year these days; time to fill with all sorts of worthwhile things such as helping lepers, that might one day help you get a menial job that isn’t going to pay. For …
As much as I love Quentin Blake, I’m slightly disappointed that his are the only editions of Roald Dahl’s books readily available to buy. I’d love to see his work reimagned by today’s artists. Failing that some reprints of his early, pre-Blake books would be nice. Happily Penguin Classics have begun re-printing some of his …
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Lane Smith is one of the great American illustrators of recent times. His work proves the point of this series of articles: No matter how beloved and wonderful the Blake / Dahl partnership was, it’s a crying shame that Penguin don’t give contemporary artists the chance to give us their take, show us some new perspectives. Continue reading »
As I impatiently wait for the second volume of Pippi Longstocking comics to come out, I thought I'd dig a little further into the back catalogue of the artistic genius behind them, Ingrid Vang Nyman. Having completed the first Pippi book in 1945, Vang Nyman teamed up with her cousin Pipaluk Freuchen to create Ivik … Continue reading »
A couple of weeks ago I did something I hadn't done since the days when records were records, made out of round plastic and sold in shops made of bricks – I left work at lunch time and rushed down Park Street in Bristol to buy something on its day of release. It wasn't an … Continue reading »
I grew up in the 1980s, a child of Thatcher raised to loathe the monstrous metal mother. Not that I needed much prompting, her regular appearances on TV were enough to send me scuttling behind the sofa. But to make sure I stayed on message, my parents bought me a children's book on the subject: … Continue reading »
For anyone who has never quite got the Brothers Grimm, or never heard their 'Märchen' (household tales) at a young age, here’s a great description of what they've been missing. 'The dictionary definitions – tale, fable, legend – are all inadequate when I think of my little German Märchenbuch and what it held for me. … Continue reading »
Here’s a little curio from the Raymond Briggs Treasury, the Champion Books, a series of six non fiction titles covering the crowning achievements of great figures from the 20th Century. Briggs rarely touched non-fiction subjects, though as we saw with Sledges to the Rescue he was constantly drawing on his own family history. In 1967 … Continue reading »
Doctor Who is 50 this year and on top of the new series and the Mark Gatiss drama it seems likely there will be a special episode featuring a coming together of some of the actors who have played the Doctor over the years. Whether that means wheeling Tom Baker out of the pub or … Continue reading »
