Roald Dahl’s Scrumdiddlyumptious Sticker Book

Illustrated by Quentin Blake

Sometimes we parents are so eager to introduce a particular author to our young readers, we sometimes also want to search for alternate entry paths for kids other than diving headlong into the book. And this particular book provides an avenue that combines getting a taste of the world of Dahl via the hands on approach.

The deliciously colorful and marvelously whimsical illustrations of Quentin Blake’s efforts grab kids with the Dahlesque vocabulary of the title. And it certainly whets the appetite for those who haven’t entered the zany world of Dahl and for those who have, it enhances the experience.

It presents tantalizing snippets from three of Dahl’s most whimsical, wise and wonderful titles, namely Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox and James and the Giant Peach. The excerpts invite kids to read descriptions of the central characters, many of whom are wickedly mocked with the deft Dahl touch. Quentin Blake, a favorite illustrator of many Dahl books uses wildly colorful and zany caricatures for the stickers that can be matched to lightly drawn descriptions of the principals plus a brief character analysis. For instance the rotund Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is briefly referred to as “a greedy boy.” Then you are tasked with finding Augustus in his sticker incarnation and matching the two. It’s delightfully Dahl!

Ah Roald Dahl, the name is brimful of the ability to unashamedly skewer those deserving of it with a perfect turn of phrase. His books have some of the most delightfully drawn villains who are dark and at times downright cruel, but who are outdone in the end often by the tenacity and hopeful heart of a child. This sticker book gives a sample of both. His villains as you are introduced to them here are conjured with words depicting complex exaggerated egos and self indulgence, while the heroes, who are often children, exhibit a quiet confidence completely unaware of their simple goodness and decency in a world that sometimes is not.

This sticker book allows kids to glimpse the talent of the dazzling Dahl who allows you to stand at the doorway of childhood and peek in, remembering what it felt like to believe the unbelievable and above all to see hope at the center of a child’s heart.

Dahl never forgot, thankfully, that for a book to be a success with a child, they must be able to fully enter into the created world and believe it or at least want to. Kids are notorious “truth detectors” and can ferret out the inauthentic as it relates to what they read with a deftness that is breathtaking.

But coupling excerpts of three of Dahl’s best books and peopling the succeeding pages with an opportunity to match the pictured character with the corresponding sticker, lets kids pass time as happily as tasting “lickable wallpaper” or sampling an “everlasting gobstopper.” It’s hands on, happy and a hit with kids.

An added bonus and good to know is that 10% of the author’s royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to The Roald Dahl Charities. For details, please visit roalddahl.com.

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Roald Dahl’s birthday was September 13 and birthday celebrations have been happening the entire month of September throughout the country.  In honor of these celebrations, a large collection of Dahl’s signature titles, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, and James and the Giant Peach were recently released as e-books for the first time ever.  I encourage everyone to revisit these timeless classics!