James and the Giant Peach

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I remember not really liking James and the Giant Peach all that much when I was a kid but I still thought it was an ok book. On re-reading though, eh, no - it’s not very good at all! EP9: Governor Andrew Cuomo and Anna Wintour read James & the Giant Peach w/ Taika Waititi! | #WithMe Usually, if I don't care for a book, I keep schtum about it here. Not only is it not as much fun to talk about books I didn't like, but bad-mouthing other author's books is pretty rude.

On a more hopeful note, the underlying message of this story is that there are ways to escape a troubling homelife. The verbal and emotional abuse James receives is a bit over-the-top, but that might be the reality for some kids. How do they escape that? And while they can't fly away on a giant peach, ultimately, this story suggests that abused kids can find possible escapes through friends and writing. That the power of relationships and creativity and imagination are all a person needs to take them anywhere they want to go i.e. it shows kids that no matter how bad things may seem, or how bad they get, there is always hope. A television adaptation of the novel appeared on BBC One on December 28, 1976. Paul Stone directed a script by Trever Preston. The cast included Simon Bell playing James, Bernard Cribbins playing Centipede, and Anna Quayle playing Aunt Spiker. [16] I liked the more macabre elements of the story like the oddly sinister Cloud-Men and the “immense grey batlike creature swooping down towards them out of the dark” - Quentin Blake’s drawing really sells them too. The batlike creature is a really weird inclusion as it has no bearing on the plot and is never mentioned again. But that kind of strange detail is partly why you re-read as you notice stuff you didn’t the first time! In May 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taika Waititi, the Oscar-winning director, worked with the Roald Dahl Story Company to publish audio-visual readings of the book. Waititi was joined by Oscar-winning actresses Meryl Streep, Lupita Nyong'o, and Cate Blanchett; actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Liam and Chris Hemsworth, Ryan Reynolds; the Duchess of Cornwall, and others in ten installments which were then published to the Roald Dahl official YouTube channel. [27] Gioia, Michael (22 April 2015). "Watch Skylar Astin and Megan Hilty Record Pasek and Paul's James and the Giant Peach! (Video)". Playbill . Retrieved 12 September 2016.

EP10: Taika is joined by Jojo Rabbit co-stars Roman & Archie to read James & the Giant Peach #WithMe

But this idea of looking closer at the world also applies to looking at other people and how we should take the time to talk to them to get to know them. In doing so, we can find out how they contribute to the rest of us since everyone contributes to the world. is the year of reading Roald Dahl for me! I'm trying to read all his books that I can get my hands on plus reread all the books I've previously read of his :) The book brought several details to my attention that I hadn't known before, such as the whimsical cloudmen and Dahl's explanation for how weather works. At times the book seemed to lose its direction but nonetheless , a thoroughly enjoyable read! Jones, Kenneth (21 October 2010). " James and the Giant Peach, the Musical, Blossoms with the Help of Pilobolus, Oct. 21". Playbill . Retrieved 12 September 2016.When his parents are unceremoniously eaten by a rhinoceros that escapes from London Zoo, James is forced to go and live with his unpleasant aunts. Through a series of peculiar and magical happenings, James finds himself in a giant peach with a bunch of friendly giant insects for travelling companions.

Quentin Blake was born in 1932 and read English at Cambridge, before attending Chelsea Art College. He has won many major prizes for illustration, including the Kate Greenaway Medal (1980) and the Red House Children's Book Award (1981) for Mister Magnolia. He is also the winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration and in 1990 was voted 'The Illustrator's Illustrator' by Observer Magazine. A tireless promoter of children's literature – and a long-time collaborator with roald Dahl – Quentin Blake was awarded the OBE in 1988 and in 2005 he was awarded a CBE for services to Children's Literature. In the most recent New Year’s Honours list he has been knighted.

EP 8: Mindy Kaling, Ben Schwartz and Gordon Ramsay read James & the Giant Peach w/ Taika! | #WithMe Book challenges and banning is proof to the power of good literature, creative language, and original imagery. While some might have issues with certain realities of the world that children are growing up in; and as troubled as it makes adults to be reminded of these facts as they attempt to shield their children from harm, children’s literature is a great way for them to get a glimpse at the issues that they WILL have to deal with some day. I even remember wanting to only eat and drink peach stuff for a while, and since it was the 90's I had to have my Snapple Peach Iced Tea.