Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I have been working with Brandt as he is trying to master the toilet.  To encourage him to poop, I will read out loud to him.  For Christmas, I bought the collected works of Roald Dahl thinking that I would read them to Brandt.  Kent thought I was a bit pre-mature.  Brandt is only four and these books don't have very many pictures, and Kent believed that they wouldn't hold Brandt's attention.  Little did he know how captivating Dahl’s writing really is. 

I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Brandt in two days.  This is a 200 page book with very few pictures, but Brandt did not want me to stop.  He loved it!  We had just seen the movie two weeks before as we were on our way to Las Vegas.  The movie version with Johnny Depp playing Mr. Wonka follows the book very closely, much more closely than the Gene Wilder version.  I think the movie was playing in Brandt’s head as we read making it easier for him to follow along, so that might have played a part in his captivated interest.  But even so, he was with me as I read. 

Roald Dahl is creative, funny, and entertaining.  We are nearly done reading Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, the sequel to Chocolate Factory, and I am delighted that we have over a dozen more Dahl books waiting to be read.  Although these books are meant for children, they are engaging for adults too.  I am looking forward to future reads.