The Roald Dahl Audio CD Collection [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Roald Dahl (Author, Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 2007 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Roald Dahl's hilarious and outrageous novels have made him one of the most popular children's authors of all time. Here, the author himself brings five of his wickedly funny stories to life:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory:
Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last!

James and the Giant Peach:
A little magic can take you a long way.

Fantastic Mr. Fox:
Nobody outfoxes Fantastic Mr. Fox!

The Enormous Crocodile:
Watch out, kids!

The Magic Finger:
What happens when the hunter becomes the hunted?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Roald Dahl is considered one of the most beloved writers of our time. Although he passed away in 1990, his popularity continues to increase as his fantastic novels, including The Witches and Matilda, delight an ever-growing legion of fans.

From AudioFile

Roald Dahl's collection of stories for younger children includes classics like CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. There are also lesser-known tales like FANTASTIC MR. FOX, in which a loving papa fox outwits a farmer to feed his kits, and THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE, in which a greedy reptile hunts for a young child to eat. In each story the underdog characters triumph, and evil is punished in intriguing ways. For example, the girl in THE MAGIC FINGER shows hunters what it feels like to be hunted. The author reads all these magical tales in his elegant British tones, his pacing showing tenderness for his characters. The excellence of carefully chosen rhythms and rhymes resounds throughout. S.W. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Audio CD: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperFestival; Abridged edition (February 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061214965
• ISBN-13: 978-0061214967
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Books on CD > Children's Fiction > Classics
  • #7 in Books > Books on CD > Children's Fiction > Fantasy
  • #7 in Books > Books on CD > Children's Fiction > General

More About the Author

Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was born in Llandaff, South Wales, and went to Repton School in England. His parents were Norwegian, so holidays were spent in Norway. As he explains in Boy, he turned down the idea of university in favor of a job that would take him to"a wonderful faraway place. In 1933 he joined the Shell Company, which sent him to Mombasa in East Africa. When World War II began in 1939 he became a fighter pilot and in 1942 was made assistant air attaché in Washington, where he started to write short stories. His first major success as a writer for children was in 1964. Thereafter his children's books brought him increasing popularity, and when he died children mourned the world over, particularly in Britain where he had lived for many years.The BFG is dedicated to the memory of Roald Dahls eldest daughter, Olivia, who died from measles when she was seven - the same age at which his sister had died (fron appendicitis) over forty years before. Quentin Blake, the first Children's Laureate of the United Kingdom, has illustrated most of Roald Dahl's children's books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Dahl reads his own stories, April 21, 2009

By 

Heather Bee (Atlanta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Roald Dahl Audio CD Collection (Audio CD)

I purchased this recording on cassette at a flea market and have been absolutely delighted with it - oh, yeah, my 7-year-old likes it, too! Roald Dahl's voice fleshes out the stories and characters, as well as his typical dry observations, in a refreshing departure that satisfies kids and adults alike (we've been testing it). Remember the songs the Oompa-Loompas sang in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" or the poems in "James and the Giant Peach?" I found them to be a bit disruptive when I read those books as a child; didn't "get" them. Hearing Mr. Dahl read them really allowed me to enjoy them as well.
One word to the content: I'd forgotten that Roald Dahl does write (and read) about some tough stuff, "warts and all," as it were. Sponge and Speicker are hateful and abusive to James. The three farmers in "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" are portrayed in disgusting detail. James loses his parents scarily and suddenly when they are killed in New York (richly enough, they are eaten by a rhinocerous, which are neither native to New York nor carniverous). It's a tough world in his books. Yet it's a wondrous, fanciful one. I want my son to hang on to the perfect illusion of the latter and learn about the former aspect of the world as late as possible. He's already got hip to the tough world bit, though; so we'll aim to integrate life's knocks and laughs as best we can.
The first words I hear when I start the car engine are "Kid's tape!" sometimes alternating with, "Kid's tape, please?" or "Would you please put on a kid's tape when you get the chance?" (Guess who suggested that last version?) Suffice to say, I hear a lot of "kid's tapes," so I prefer ones I can enjoy as well. This is one of those. The recordings are long, too, like this r-

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful set, June 17, 2008

By 

Alison R. Jefferson "Henry's Mom" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Roald Dahl Audio CD Collection (Audio CD)

We bought this set for our 5-year-old son after having checked it out of the library a kazillion times. The author who reads the stories has a wonderful story-telling voice. My son listens to them over and over and over again. Great stories to read, and a wonderful CD set to listen to.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grandkids love these CDs!, October 30, 2007

By 

Catherine Grosse - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Roald Dahl Audio CD Collection (Audio CD)

I ordered this CD set for my grandkids to listen to. They have "joint custody" of the set. It rotates from house to house by the week. This is part of a circulating set that they listen to a bedtime. On busy nights, when Mom and Dad don't have time to read, this satisfies their desire for a bedtime story, plus it lasts longer than a short story or two. They sometimes drift off to sleep listening to the CDs. With 11 grandkids, this comes in handy. I'm very glad I bought this set and am so impressed that it is read by the author. This way we get the intended inflection and each nuance.