Roald Dahl 100 Celebratory Blog Tour – Review of Esio Trot
This year Penguin Young Readers and the Roald Dahl Literary Estate are celebrating 100 years since the birth of Roald Dahl —the world’s number one storyteller.
====================================================================
Roald Dahl holds a special place in this bookworm’s heart. His stories were some of my favorites while I was growing up, and I love the fact that they are still so popular with today’s kids as well! There’s something magical about Roald Dahl’s writing. It’s a bit silly, a bit magic-filled, and always manages to have this beautiful message in it that is never preachy. They’re little portals to the best part of being a kid, and remind adults that we’re all just still big kids at heart.
Matilda taught me to be proud of my bookworm status. Charlie taught me to never give up, no matter how big a dream might seem. James taught me that being kind is always the right thing to do, even when it’s tough. These characters were my childhood, and I’m happy to celebrate them!
I’ll stop rambling now, and do what I was asked to do. Please see the below review for Esio Trot (one of my favorites!) and make sure to enter the giveaway at the bottom!
====================================================================
From the bestselling author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG!
Mr. Hoppy is in love with his neighbor, Mrs. Silver; but she is in love with someone else—Alfie, her pet tortoise. With all her attention focused on Alfie, Mrs. Silver doesn’t even know Mr. Hoppy is alive. And Mr. Hoppy is too shy to even ask Mrs. Silver over for tea. Then one day Mr. Hoppy comes up with a brilliant idea to get Mrs. Silver’s attention. If Mr. Hoppy’s plan works, Mrs. Silver will certainly fall in love with him. After all, everyone knows the way to a woman’s heart is through her tortoise.
Ah, this book. As a child, this was my first glimpse into mushy, gushy love stories and I remember wearing a big grin as I read about Mr. Hoppy and his crush on Mrs. Silver. Reading this again was like taking a stroll down memory lane. So many feels!
As you might imagine, this is a quick read. The story flies by as Mr. Hoppy hatches his brilliant plan to win the heart of Mrs. Silver. His plan involves lots of silly words (totally fun to read out loud with the little ones) and 140 tortoises. Yup, you heard that right! This man is smitten! He goes to great lengths for his love. The illustrations by Quentin Blake are spot on, and utterly adorable! If you’ve never been in love with tortoises before, I guarantee you that Alfie will change your mind.
Looking for a sweet read for your young reader? Pick up anything Roald Dahl. Anything at all. You won’t be sorry!
FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.
