Danny the Champion of the World

Danny is a poor child, who has lost his mother. But thanks largely to his father's spirit and strength, Danny lives a life that is rich and purposeful. With his father Danny finds the magic in late-night snacks and walks in the wood. He learns to cherish the simple things all around him and the great joy in being with a loved one. All of these things are greatly heightened in the novel's core pursuit: the game of poaching pheasants. Danny discovers with his father the excitement in a nerve-wracking sport: but most of all, he discovers again that, whatever the outcome, the greatest game of all is being with the ones you love. One of my top five favorite books as a kid, and now one of my daughter's too. Like Danny and his father, my daughter and I, in reading this book, found connectedness and pleasure in the time shared together.

In this book Danny lives with his father in a caravan. They spend time together building flaming balloons, fixing cars, and walking to and from school. Danny loves his father so much that it never crosses his mind that his father might be hiding something from him. It turns out, Danny's father has an exciting secret-- he sneaks out at night to poach pheasants on the land of his wealthy neighbors! Once Danny figures out this secret, his father teaches him to poach pheasants with the best of them. The book culminates with Danny and his father's attempt to spoil the pheasant-hunting event of the mean Mr. Hazel, their neighbor. If they can get all the pheasants on Mr. Hazel's land before the event, they'll exact revenge on Mr. Hazel. But danger lurks around every corner on this exciting mission! This is a work of fiction that runs between 220-250 pages, depending on the edition. It's a wonderful book that shows a deep and moving love between father and son. I have read it to my 6th grade students, my own nephews, and my nieces. Every child I have ever read it to loved it for its wholesome excitement and vivid detail. This book is probably best for 8-12 year old children depending on their reading ability. Although so many children love this book, some may find that its plot is too simple. There are very few sub-plots, so the book is there's not a lot to stretch a child's capacity to understand complex plot structure. All in all, this is a wonderful book full of suspense, love, and excitement. Danny, Champion of the World. Puffin. Roald Dahl, Illustrated by Quentin Blake. This most recent version was published in August, 2007.

Although I've been studying Spanish for years, I feel that my language skills are rusty. I bought this Spanish-version of one of my favorite childhood books in hopes that I might rekindle some interest with Spanish, and I must say it's been fun. The translation is fine (of course it helps that I already know the story) and I'm enjoying this sort of practice because it's both a treat for me and quite useful for study. Roald Dahl's children books are definitely for all ages, for any language.

When I was a kid, I found this book in a pile in my house and started reading it. Very quickly, I found that I was unable to put it down and have since read it three or four times. Recently, I had the opportunity to read this book to my daughter, and it was a true thrill for for me to see the excitement on her face at each new twist and turn in the story. This is most certainly not a suspense thriller, but there are almost no other children's books out that can make the things we experience every day sound so magical and incredible. If I had to select the greatest children's story of all time, this would be one of the top contenders for sure.

twenty years (or so) after first touching this book, i am buying it again. maybe its because i lost my father to cancer when i was young, but to this day, this book affects my life. when i was much younger i marveled at the events that took place (the balloons, the kites, the school teacher), and wished i was there to experience it. today, the child in me still wishes to be there, but the adult in me sees a stronger message beyond the events (which possibly explains what happens with the pheasants). what i realize now, is the events are incidental to the lessons, the love and bond between not just father and son, but people in general.maybe i am going off the deep end a bit, but i believe everyone should read this book at least once in their life. to miss it would be crime.