Stella Caldwell Archives - HodgePodgeDays

AD/Gifted. One of the things we enjoy most during our quiet times at home is sharing our love of Roald Dahl books. I grew up reading The BFG, Matilda and The Twits and it’s been nothing short of lovely to read them with my son. To add an extra layer of interest, this month we have been dipping in and out of a new book Roald Dahl’s Beastly Brutes & Heroic Human Beans.

Roald Dahl’s Beastly Brutes & Heroic Human Beans was published in August 2019 and is illustrated by Quentin Blake. Written by Roald Dahl and Stella Caldwell, it is a really beautifully presented book, with die-cut pages which mean you can press out around the images and create a parade of heroes and villains. You can press out some of the characters entirely and keep them safe in the envelope which is tucked away on the last page.

Book Review: Roald Dahl's Beastly Brutes & Heroic Human Beans

The book features both heroes and villains from The Twits, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and The BFG. The pages are bursting with detail about the characters and their dastardly deeds, or brave heroics. Each section allows you to get closer to the characters; learning more about their lives and giving them the chance to dive into their fantastical worlds and meet new people along the way.

We especially loved the die-cut pages, which mean you can keep your pages intact, or carefully pop out portions of the pages if you prefer. It’s a really tactile and interesting way to enjoy a book.

Roald Dahl’s Beastly Brutes & Heroic Human Beans is a beautiful companion piece for any Roald Dahl fan. We’ve loved pouring over the pages and soaking up all the delicious detail. It’s as beautiful as you would imagine a book illustrated by Quentin Blake would be, but lush with words from Roald Dahl and author Stella Caldwell. It’s suitable for ages 6+ and would make a really lovely gift for fans of any age.

Book Review: Roald Dahl's Beastly Brutes & Heroic Human Beans

Roald Dahl’s Beastly Brutes & Heroic Human Beans costs £14.99 (hardback) and is available from a wide range of book shops and online (affiliate link).

If you enjoyed this, you might also like to read our review of The Gloriumptious Worlds of Roald Dahl.

Growing up, my favourite author by far was Roald Dahl. He is a legend in children’s literature and his books continue to delight children. They are not for the squeamish though. Roald Dahl delighted in telling stories that could make your hair curl. In this recently published book, The Gloriumptious Worlds of Roald Dahl you can delve a little deeper into the stories and characters, and find out some brilliant behind the scenes information about Dahl’s writing. Written by Stella Caldwell, it is a spectacular scrapbook of stories and characters!

Review: The Gloriumptious Worlds of Roald Dahl

This fantastical and official book, published just over 100 years after Roald Dahl’s birth, gives a brilliant new perspective on his most-loved (and hated) characters and stories. The Gloriumptious Worlds of Roald Dahl brings together Dahl’s wondrous creations and Quentin Blake’s iconic illustrations with previously unpublished reproductions of imagined letters, artefacts, posters and much, much more. Inspired by the characters and events from each of Dahl’s books, and including original thoughts and notes on yellow lined paper – as if written by Dahl himself – the book expands upon his stories in a humorous and creative way, making it the ideal addition to everyone’s Dahl collection.

This is a wonderful book to dip in and out of. It’s just the thing to read alongside one of his books, if you’re reading The Twits for example, dip into The Twits section and find out more about the horrifying Mr and Mrs Twit.

Read Mrs Twit’s recipe for Bird Pie, become a giant expert with the BFG’s spotter’s guide, discover Willy Wonka’s golden ticket or take a look at The Trunchbull’s tips for school discipline.

The Gloriumptious Worlds of Roald Dahl contains a map linking all of Roald Dahl’s fictional worlds; information about his special writing hut and pages and pages about his stories. It is wonderfully illustrated by his long term collaborator, Quentin Blake and contains fold out pages and special items such as The Oompa-Loompa Field guide, a guide to Gobblefunk and there’s a special secret letter hidden in the back of the book.

Review: The Gloriumptious Worlds of Roald Dahl

Did you know Roald Dahl always wrote in pencil on yellow lined paper? You do now!

It really is absolutely packed full of lovely secrets scattered across each page. It’s a glorious read and would make a really wonderful gift for any Roald Dahl fan, whatever their age. We’ve certainly enjoyed reading it together, dipping in and out and finding out more wonderful things about some of the weird and wonderful creatures and grotesque grown ups in Roald Dahl’s books.

The Gloriumptious Worlds of Roald Dahl is published by Carlton Books, costs £12.99 and is available from a wide range of retailers, including Amazon.

Disclosure: We were sent The Gloriumptious Worlds of Roald Dahl for review purposes. All images and opinions are our own. This post contains an affiliate link.

If you enjoyed this review, you might also like to find out more about My Golden Ticket – A Beautiful Personalised Roald Dahl Book.