They have the best holidays

A very happy Roald Dahl Day to everyone! If Dahl hadn’t died in 1990, today would have been his 90th birthday, and the brilliant folks in Britain had the idea to celebrate. (How cool is that?!)

In honor of Dahl, fans are encouraged to wear yellow, his favorite color, speak in Dahl’s invented language “gobblefunk,” trade books and make up Oompa Loompa dances — a tribute to characters from ”Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

In England, a special train ferried fans from London to Great Missenden, 35 miles west of the city, where Dahl lived for more than 30 years. And guides from the Roald Dahl Museum conducted tours of the town, stopping to read passages from stories, and pointed out landmarks that inspired scenes from Dahl’s books, including the library where Matilda reads and Sophie’s orphanage from The BFG, or The Big Friendly Giant.

Why should anyone care about this children’s author? His books, which are darkly comic and feature villainous adult enemies of the child characters, threw open children’s literature to riskier, darker works. (It’s hard to imagine a world without Harry Potter, but without Dahl’s stories, J.K. Rowling would have had a decidedly more difficult time getting her works published.)

If you haven’t read one of his books before, or want to pick up an old favorite, click on the pictures above to locate a copy on Amazon.com.

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