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D Is for Dahl A gloriumptious A-Z guide to the world of Roald Dahl by Roald Dahl, Wendy Cooling
labunnywtf's review against another edition
5.0
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!
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!
vll295's review against another edition
5.0
http://hesaidbooksorme.blogspot.com/2016/09/blog-tour-and-giveaway-roald-dahl-d-is.html
mariahroze's review against another edition
4.0
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!
"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!
mlottermoser's review against another edition
5.0
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.)
libnerdan's review against another edition
5.0
Love all the tidbits of information about Dahl in here. Fantastically Fun.
marinaschulz's review against another edition
5.0
"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.
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.
librarydeb's review against another edition
5.0
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.
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.
lottie1996's review against another edition
4.0
This a compilation of all things Roald Dahl, it has interesting facts about Roald Dahl and his books. I liked this book as Roald Dahl is one of my favourite children's authors and I have read most of his children's books. Fans of Roald Dahl should pick this up.
alicea's review against another edition
5.0
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.