We’re the world’s biggest (littlest) fans of Roald Dahl-in our eyes, no children’s author comes close to the magical worlds RD conjured.
The lessons within each now, classic book, supersedes their literary value too: Roald Dahl prepares children for life in the ‘real world’, warning children that adults might not be whom they seem and that life is sadly not always rosy.
Roald Dahl empowers kids as he makes them the heroes of his stories, and it is these tiny protagonists who are ultimately empowered to overcome adversity and overcome evil (mostly the adults) so often causing chaos be it parents, teachers or even witches in disguise!
I personally have special memories of Matilda as I played Miss Honey in the school play at my Prep School. I’d coveted the part of Miss Trunchbull firstly, purely for dramatic potential but a fellow pupil who was in a TV show at the time, snagged the part. Funnily enough the strict private school I attended the, reminded me of the school in Matilda to the point I felt it was biographical! Now, there’s a story for another time!
…Excitingly, McDonalds have partnered with the Roald Dahl Estate so even more children can discover the wonders of Matilda, The BFG and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in their Happy Meals, through excepts from the famous books with a focus on the distinctive characters.
Over 50 million books have been distributed since the literacy initiative Happy Readers was launched, which is part of the global celebration of Roald Dahl Day, marked annually on 13th September, with the scheme running for 5 weeks.
This campaign aims to increase book ownership amongst kids and encourage both children and parents to find the joy in reading, something we love here at Honest Mum HQ! My children simply adore reading with Oliver recently made the top tier at school in all of his subjects (!) and thanks to Roald Dahl, he and his younger brother, Xander relish story time, both if I, or they, read.
My own kids, as you can see devoured the books, with Oliver reading to his little brother Xander. I also read excerpts from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to them both before bed tonight! It’s always such a joy re-reading Dahl’s work!
…Recently, Chloe Dahl, Roald Dahl’s granddaughter kindly sent me a handwritten (empowering) card along with a hamper of limited edition items from the estate which truly touched mine and my children’s hearts.
I was a non-conformist as a child myself, who turned into a creative, pioneering (some might say), adult. It’s thanks to role models such as the rule-breaker Matilda, adventurous team-leader James and the anarchic inventor George, that I felt I belonged and more than belonged, I felt I MATTERED. Those character gave me self-belief. Thank you Roald Dahl for instilling the importance of healthy rebellion and resistance in me, and millions of children, including my own, all over the world.
For more information, head to the Happy Readers site.
Watch Peter Andre’s video about the collab HERE.
This is a sponsored campaign.
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