You’d be hard-pressed to find someone at Audible who doesn’t get all moony-eyed at the mention of Roald Dahl. (Including a staffer who recently wrote a beautiful storyabout reading Dahl out loud to his infant son as he recovered from surgery.)
My second-grade teacher, Mr. O’Neill, read aloud from James and the Giant Peach after lunch every day, committing to all the voices like a career thespian. I swear, it was his turn as the malevolent aunts Sponge and Spiker that inspired me to later study theater and writing, which set the course for my life.
Audible editor Diana Dapito has a similar origin story. “The Witches was my first introduction to Dahl’s wonderfully imaginative world,” she says, “courtesy of my beloved fourth-grade teacher, Ms. Kozick, who would spend the best 30 minutes of each day reading to us from this sometimes dark but always fun and engaging book.” She adds that her first and best love was Matilda, with whose protagonist she always shared a passion for books. What is it about Roald Dahl that has such a hold on us? Diana nails it: “Dahl gives his young audience protagonists who are smart and (usually) kind; he trusts they can handle characters who aren’t always what they seem and stories that aren’t always sugarcoated.”
As every grade-school teacher seems to know, Roald Dahl’s books were simply made to be performed out loud. Indulge in some excerpts from your favorites, courtesy of our friends at Listening Library:
"Enter Dahl Audio Collection Soundcloud"
For a behind-the-mic look at how the audiobooks were made, here’s a mini-documentary featuring Kate Winslet, Stephen Fry, David Walliams, and other beloved performers in the studios.
Happy birthday, Mr. Dahl — and thank you.
Photo credit Jan Baldwin, © RDNL 2016
Aside from Mr. O’Neill and Ms. Kozick, here are the peachiest people to perform Dahl aloud:
“Roald Dahl sometimes shared a tonal kinship with Ogden Nash, and he could demonstrate a verbal inventiveness nearly Seussian... [His] stories work better in audio than in print.” (The New York Times)
Captured by a giant!
The BFG is no ordinary bone-crunching giant. He is far too nice and jumbly. It's lucky for Sophie that he is. Had she been carried off in the middle of the night by the Bloodbottler, or any of the other giants - rather than the BFG - she would have soon become breakfast. When Sophie hears that the giants are flush-bunking off to England to swollomp a few nice little chiddlers, she decides she must stop them once and for all. And the BFG is going to help her!
Now a Steven Spielberg film!
Soon to be a major motion picture starring Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Rock!
This is not a fairy tale. This is about real witches.
Grandmamma loves to tell about witches. Real witches are the most dangerous of all living creatures on Earth. There's nothing they hate so much as children, and they work all kinds of terrifying spells to get rid of them. Her grandson listens closely to Grandmamma's stories - but nothing can prepare him for the day he comes face-to-face with The Grand High Witch herself!
Now a musical!
Matilda is a sweet, exceptional young girl, but her parents think she's just a nuisance. She expects school to be different but there she has to face Miss Trunchbull, a menacing, kid-hating headmistress. When Matilda is attacked by the Trunchbull she suddenly discovers she has a remarkable power with which to fight back. It'll take a superhuman genius to give Miss Trunchbull what she deserves and Matilda may be just the one to do it!
Here is Roald Dahl's original novel of a little girl with extraordinary powers. This much-loved story has recently been made into a wonderful new musical, adapted by Dennis Kelly with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin.
Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last!
But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, our hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!
A little magic can take you a long way.
After James Henry Trotter's parents are tragically eaten by a rhinoceros, he goes to live with his two horrible aunts, Spiker and Sponge. Life there is no fun, until James accidentally drops some magic crystals by the old peach tree and strange things start to happen. The peach at the top of the tree begins to grow, and before long it's as big as a house. Inside, James meets a bunch of oversized friends - Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybug, and more. With a snip of the stem, the peach starts rolling away, and the great adventure begins!
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Nobody outfoxes Fantastic Mr. Fox!
Someone's been stealing from the three meanest farmers around, and they know the identity of the thief - it's Fantastic Mr. Fox! Working alone they could never catch him; but now fat Boggis, squat Bunce, and skinny Bean have joined forces, and they have Mr. Fox and his family surrounded. What they don't know is that they're not dealing with just any fox - Mr. Fox would rather die than surrender. Only the most fantastic plan can save him now.
Esio Trot
An ancient spell, 140 tortoises, and a little bit of magic...
Mr. Hoppy is in love with his neighbor, Mrs. Silver; but she is in love with someone else - Alfie, her pet tortoise. With all her attention focused on Alfie, Mrs. Silver doesn’t even know Mr. Hoppy is alive. And Mr. Hoppy is too shy to even ask Mrs. Silver over for tea. Then one day Mr. Hoppy comes up with a brilliant idea to get Mrs. Silver's attention. If Mr. Hoppy's plan works, Mrs. Silver will certainly fall in love with him. After all, everyone knows the way to a woman’s heart is through her tortoise.
The Enormous Crocodile
The Enormous Crocodile is a horrid greedy grumptious brute who loves to guzzle up little boys and girls. But the other animals have had enough of his cunning tricks, so they scheme to get the better of this foul fiend, once and for all!
The Giraffe and The Pelly and Me
Who needs a ladder when you’ve got a giraffe with an extended neck?
The Ladderless Window-Cleaning Company certainly doesn't. They don’t need a pail, either, because they have a pelican with a bucket-sized beak. With a monkey to do the washing and Billy as their manager, this business is destined for success. Now they have their big break - a chance to clean all 677 windows of the Hampshire House, owned by the richest man in all of England! That’s exciting enough, but along the way there are surprises and adventures beyond their wildest window-washing dreams.
