James and the Giant Peach
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| James and the Giant Peach | |
 James and the Giant Peach book cover |
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| Author | Roald Dahl |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Quentin Blake |
| Cover artist | Quentin Blake |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. |
| Publication date | 1961 |
| Media type | Paperback |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-375-81424-8 |
James and the Giant Peach is a children's book by Welsh author Roald Dahl, originally illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert, first published in the USA in 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. and then in London in 1967 by Allen & Unwin. Because of the book's content it has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000 at number fifty six. [1]
Contents |
[edit] Film version
A film version of the same name was released in 1996, directed and co-produced, respectively, by The Nightmare Before Christmas collaborators Henry Selick and Tim Burton. It featured a combination of live-action and stop-motion animation.
[edit] Characters
- James Henry Trotter - An ordinary 7-year-old boy, the main protagonist has had a happy life but is orphaned as a result of a bizarre and terrible accident. He is sent to live with his two aunts, Spiker and Sponge, who subject him to a variety of physical and mental abuse.
- The Old-Green-Grasshopper - is an old, wise musician (he plays the fiddle).
- The Centipede - is a boisterous but good-natured rascal, fond of eating and singing.
- The Earthworm - is blind and very pessimistic. He frequently argues with the Centipede.
- The Ladybird (or in American versions of the book, Ladybug) - is a kind, motherly character.
- The Glowworm - is a living-lighting-system for the peach's interior. She is fond of sleeping, and sometimes needs to be woken up so she can switch herself off.
- The Silkworm - is a quiet, inactive creature who helped very much with her amazing "power" to weave very fine gossamer/silk. (She is missing from the movie.)
- Miss Spider - is a gentle creature (whose web-silk replaces that of the missing character of the Silkworm in the film).
- Old Man - A wizard-like magician who helped James.
- Aunt Sponge - A dimwitted, obese aunt.
- Aunt Spiker - A cruel, thin-as-a-stick aunt.
[edit] References in the book to other Roald Dahl works
James and the Giant Peach possibly references Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the beginning and end of the novel. When the peach rolls off the tree, it rolls through a "famous chocolate factory", possibly a reference to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory (the illustration even depicts the word "WONKA" on the side of the building). Towards the end of the book, people in New York City accuse the passengers aboard the peach to be Vermicious Knids, Whangdoodles, Snozzwangers or even Hornswogglers. All of those animals (except the former) are mentioned by Willy Wonka to live in Loompaland, which is also the home of Oompa-Loompas. Vermicious Knids are extraterrestrials, and feature in the sequel book, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.
[edit] Editions
- ISBN 0-375-81424-8 (hardcover, 2002)
- ISBN 0-670-88577-0 (hardcover, 1999)
- ISBN 0-7868-3105-7 (hardcover, 1996)
- ISBN 0-670-85251-1 (hardcover, 1995)
- ISBN 0-613-35965-8 (library binding, 2001)
- ISBN 0-679-98090-3 (library binding, 1996)
- ISBN 0-14-130467-7 (paperback, 2001)
- ISBN 0-14-131135-5 (paperback, 2001)
- ISBN 0-14-130756-0 (paperback, 2000)
- ISBN 0-00-102494-9 (paperback, 1997)
- ISBN 0-679-88090-9 (paperback, 1996)
- ISBN 0-14-038234-8 (paperback, 1996)
- ISBN 0-14-037424-8 (paperback, 1996)
- ISBN 0-14-038297-6 (paperback, 1996)
- ISBN 0-14-037156-7 (paperback, 1995)
- ISBN 1-55734-441-8 (paperback, 1994)
- ISBN 0-14-034269-9 (paperback, 1990)
