Roald Dahl's 100th
It's splendiferous! Wondiferous! Truly scrumdiddlyumptious. The human bean called Roald Dahl celebrates 100 birthdays September 13, 2016. Though Dahl died nearly 26 years ago, his fantastical stories live on in our hearts and minds and bookshelves.
Dahl lived a extraordinary life himself. 
Born in Wales on September 16, 1916 to Norwegian parents, Dahl lost his father and a sister at a young age. His mother decided to stay in Wales as Dahl’s father wished for his children to attend what he deemed the best schools in the world. This time spent in various public schools across Britain provided both good and bad experiences and proved inspiring for his later works of fiction for both children and adults. He speaks of many of these experiences specifically in his first autobiographical work, Boy: Tales of Childhood.
Before becoming a writer, Dahl worked for Shell Oil in Africa and was a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II. While stationed in Washington D.C. after no longer being able to fly, Dahl met British author C.S Forester who encouraged him to write, and thus his illustrious writing career began. Roald Dahl moved back to Britain, married actress Patricia Neal, and had five children. His eldest daughter, Olivia, died of measles at the young age of 7. Dahl dedicated many books to his daughter and advocated for children's health later in his life due to this sad experience.
Many of Dahl's most famous works of literature for children were written in the 80s, but his writing spans from the 1940s all the way up until his death in 1990 (and even after). He wrote short stories, screenplays, adult fiction, biographical material and, of course, children's stories. For more information on Roald Dahl's fascinating life, check out this timeline on his website.Download a Roald Dahl Day Party Pack for crafts, trivia and more splendiferous fun!
Perhaps you didn't taste a truly fantastic peach until you read about one first. You might have tried to see if you had the intellectual prowess to use telekinesis on a horrid teacher. Maybe you combined cat food and paint and water and other yucks to create a castasterous disastrophe of a marvelous medicine that would show all your enemies. You may have asked if snozzberries really exist and taste just like snozzberries.
One thing is certain though: Dahl helped you to learn and grow and imagine. Much like how "Matilda’s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone.” Yours did too.
Thank you, Mr. Dahl, and Happy Birthday!
