James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

I decided to reread James and the Giant Peach as a part of my literature journal; I read the book before as a child but I knew the experience would be different as an adult. The story follows James as he adventures with new friends to new and curious places all by way of a significantly giant peach. The imaginative text and intriguing pictures guide the reader along James’ adventures and create an atmosphere of wonderment and excitement. While reading the fantasy chapter book I reminisced the parts I loved as a child and noted of a few things that appealed to me as an adult.
    As a child I remember loving the characters in the book. The centipede was my favourite because he always had something clever to say. I loved that he was never satisfied and always needed somebody to help him tie his boots. His comedic traits made me giggle and think one of my friends that always had a clever remark to add to our conversations. Each character played their own important role. Since we know that James didn't have the most ideal childhood, it felt nice to know that all of James' new friends were there to take care of him (Miss Spider and Ladybug mainly). Also, as a child I loved the seemingly endless adventure that was described in the text. It seemed to go on and on forever, one thing after another. One minute they’re sitting at the top of a hill, then they’re bobbing in the ocean, next they’re floating in the sky, then they’re in New York City, c’mon that’s a crazy journey!  I bet every child that reads this book wishes for something as exciting to happen to them..probably more exciting than sitting in health class hey?
    I noticed throughout this book that Dahl squeezes in various encounters with reality into it’s fantastical plot. For example, one of my favourites is when the peach becomes surrounded by sharks and the characters are convinced the sharks are biting away at the peach causing it to sink. After they find a way to escape the situation, Dahl explains (quite matter-of-factly) that the sharks could not have chewed into the peach due to the anatomical design of their jaw- therefore James and Friends were not in actual trouble. I liked this so much because in the midst of all of these ridiculous adventures the reader becomes caught up in fantastical resolutions and forgets the potential of reality. The way Dahl easily indicates the facts causes a Homer Simpson “Doh!” moment for the reader, which makes for more comedy.

    The version of my novel is accompanied by black and white illustrations by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. Because the format of the book is black and white I feel that the illustrations lack a sense of magic and fail by comparison to the colourful text. Sometimes I found the illustrations were too dark to take in all the detail which I was sorry about cause the descriptions in the text enticed my visual imagination. That being said, I was able to create my own images in my mind that matched perfectly to what I wanted to see- so that could be a positive thing.
    Regardless of my feelings about the illustrations I found this classic adventure tale to be and engrossing, comedic and nostalgic read. I loved every minute of the story so much so, that I was terribly sad when I reached the last page. I will definitely recommend this book to my students but what I desperately hope for is the opportunity to teach the great possibilities that the fantasy genre offers through Roald Dalh‘s James and the Giant Peach.