Chapter Book Review: The BFG

Snozzcucumbers and human beans

Hello lovely humans!

One of the ways we foster a love of reading in our house is to work through chapter books, one chapter at a time, during our bedtime routine. This might not be the right answer for every family as it comes with inherent risks. For example, it did make our already too long bedtime routine even longer (what am I, a masochist?). It also requires a fine balance of having the patience of a saint to ignore the interruptions and whatever strange sounds my not-quite-ready-for-this-amount-of-focus 3 year old is going to throw at me, and the authority of a general to keep the kids in bed with lights off and the conversations to a minimum as I work my way through the plot. Also, I have to juggle a book, some kind of light source (I had been wrapping my phone in a sarah’s silk scarf IYKYK), and allow my daughter free range of my cuddle hand, all simultaneously. Put that on my resume?

But the struggle is worth the pay off when my kids spend hours playing in the land of Narnia, or my oldest can recount the plot points from the night before, or remind me that his favorite part of the BFG is when “they were tooting a whole bunch” (because potty humor FTW) a full week after we’ve finished the book.

So instead of my regular round up of 5 picture books, this week I’ll do a chapter book review! May it inspire you to find a winning time to read a longer story to your littles, one chapter at a time.

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FROM THE STAX

THE BFG by Roald Dahl illustrated by Quentin Blake

Sophie is an orphan and cannot sleep during the witching hour so she peers out the window and notices a mysterious lumbering shape moving through the streets. She cannot peel her eyes away as the shape stops at second story windows, and uses an odd trumpet like instrument. When the mysterious shape spies Sophie she finds herself whisked away to his cave in Giant Country. Sophie soon learns who her captor is, what he does, and who else resides in the land of the giants. They aren’t all so small or friendly as the BFG.

Roald Dahl is an essential part of my own childhood, having spent many hours curled on the living room couch reading Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The BFG among others. Thus, I was excited to share this book with my kids.

Quentin Blake’s illustrations are iconic. If you see one, you immediately know it is as his work. There is something about his loose lines and scrabbled images that perfectly capture the whimsical, fantastical, and often nonsensical world of Dahl. The two are a perfect pair, and his illustrations are a great way to inspire budding artists to lean in to their art.

I admire the way Dahl’s books have a specific kind of magic where he meets kids just where they are without expectations. Sophie is smart, brave, and kind, but is also scared at times, acting much like any child would in an unfamiliar situation: she asks good questions, tries to be polite, and is a hero because she wants to solve a problem. She doesn’t need swords or magic powers, just her wits and her big heart. Her character is just a regular kid. I love that about this book because this is where the magic lies, that an extraordinary thing happens to an ordinary person, and it is her regular human attributes that save the day!

Although the protagonist may be ordinary, the world is anything but. The BFG and Dahl’s other works do such an excellent job of invoking a world of pure magic. When I want to move objects with my mind, I invoke the powers of Matilda. Hasn’t worked yet but I’m not giving up hope! I could practically feel my kids’ imaginations churning as they immediately began to picture the giants lumbering in the streets outside, riding in the ears of a friendly giant, and whizpopping around after a great meal.

Would I recommend this book? 100 percent yes! The BFG’s silly speech can be tedious to read at times, but the kids often find it amusing. And the nuggets of wisdom hidden in the BFG’s asides about “human beans” posits big philosophical questions worth pondering, both for kids and adults alike.

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Words of wisdom for this week: get yourself the proper tools of you can, in this case a book light. It makes life so much easier.

Still thriving out here in the PNW.

That is all for now, see you next week and happy reading y’all!