Roald Dahl was my first role model. After I read The Witches in third grade, I decided I
wanted to be a writer when I grew up. Not only did I read everything else Dahl
had written, but I started writing my own stories in imitation of his style. I
lent The Witches to my best friend,
who struggled in school and especially hated reading. She also fell in love
with Dahl, and we’ve been swapping books ever since.
Dahl is so beloved amongst elementary school children
because he understands the child’s worldview, and he writes from it. His
creations are whimsical and imaginative in the way that children think. Perhaps most importantly, he
makes kids laugh. Reading his books gave me the message that my own imagination
was valued, and could be a highly entertaining plaything. When a writer
constructs a story that engages young people to this degree, his books should
be spread as widely as possible.
But this is apparently not the thinking of many outspoken
critics. The Witches, number 27 on the list of the most frequently challenged books
of 90s, was criticized by psychologists for being unrealistic, and therefore
giving children a false idea of the way the world works. Feminists were
outraged by its supposedly negative portrayal of women. And, naturally, witch
groups throughout the world were highly offended.
To all of these critics, Dahl responded, “Get a sense of humor.” Children do not read his books as sociological textbooks, but as stories, works of the imagination. Dahl’s witches are not even human; they have no toes.
The Witches is not the only Dahl creation to come under fire. Many of Dahl’s books were frequently challenged because, in the words of one
critic, he doesn’t write about “nice themes.” (Talk about unrealistic.) I still
can’t watch a horror movie without having nightmares for days, so I guarantee
that if Dahl’s books were overly dark or violent, I wouldn’t have read them. The
Witches is certainly scary at times, which is part of what makes it a great
read. It taught me to be lost in a book to the degree that I became scared or happy
or sad along with the characters.
Being moved by literature is one of the most important ways
that young children learn to be engaged with the world. Teaching children that only “nice” feelings and events are acceptable to talk about dangerously limits this engagement.
Today, I remember almost nothing of the storyline of The
Witches, but I often recall the way it affected me. The plot itself didn’t
matter nearly as much as the fact that I got completely lost in it. Dahl
himself put it best himself: “If my books can help children become readers, then I feel I have accomplished something important.”
Image: reader2.com
Related Post:
Roald Dahl's Widow Recalls His Childlike Sensibility
More from Banned Books Week:
A Salute to Judy Blume
R.L. Stine's Goosebumps
Shel Silverstein
Mommy Laid an Egg
Little Women
In the Night Kitchen
