The BFG

The BFG
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Modern Fantasy/Fiction

The "Big Friendly Giant", is the story of a little orphan named Sophie who lives in London England. One night she is unable to sleep, and while she is lying in bed, she is stirred by a noise outside her window. Sophie witnesses a giant blowing something into the windows down the street. Suddenly, the giant spots Sophie and scoops her up and carries off to giant country. Fortunately, Sophie was kidnapped by a friendly giant who calls himself the BFG. He explains to the girl that he collects dreams in jars and blows good dreams into the bedrooms of young "childers". But, he also warns her of the evil giants who eat "human beans" and stop him from doing his job. Sophie, distraught by the thought of people being gobbled every night decides to help the BFG devise a plan to stop the evil giants once and for all. But, what can a little girl and a meek giant do to help save the world? Realizing they don't have the resources to go about capturing the giants alone, Sophie decides to recruit the help of the Queen of England. With the help of the Queen's army, Sophie's wit, and the BFG's dream mixing skills, the giants are captured and kept in a giant hole only to eat the most putrid of foods found in giant country. Snozzcumbers! Roald Dahl does not disappoint with this remarkable tale filled with interesting characters, and plenty of twists to leave the reader wanting to read more.


Classroom Application:
After reading the BFG by Roald Dahl, students can roleplay as an English journalist/news reporter. Students will work in groups to write and act out their news story. They may use FlipCams to record a 2-5 segment about the capture of the evil giants. The story must include facts from the book including the names of the perpetrators, a description of their crimes, and how they were captured. Students may choose to include artist renditions of the giants, provide a short dramatization of the event, or interview of witnesses or special persons in their report. Costumes are encouraged!