Great books to read aloud: James and the Giant Peach

Dahl, R. (1996). James and the giant peach. NY: Penguin.

From the inside flap: 

"Roald Dahl's children's classic will be rediscovered with wonder and delight in this handsome gift edition with all-new black-and-white illustrations by Caldecott Honor Book artist Lane Smith (who also designed the characters for the Disney animated film).  How James escapes from his miserable life with two nasty aunts and becomes a hero to his new insect family, including Miss Spider, the Old-Green-Grasshopper, the Centipede (with his 21 pairs of gorgeous boots), is Dahl-icious fantasy at its best 'This newly-illustrated edition of an avowed children's favorite has all the makings of a classic match-up: Milne had Shepard, Carroll had Tenniel, and now Dahl has Smith...author and illustrator were made for each other, and it's of little consequence that it took almost 35 years for them to meet' --Kirkus."

This classic book, first published in 1961 (Knopf), is illustrated by renown children's author and illustrator Lane Smith for the 1996 edition that came out around the time of the Tim Burton film adaptation.

I am adding this book to my collection for 3rd-5th grade because it is a classic that stands the test of time. The dark humor in this book serves as inspiration for Lemony Snicket, Neil Gaiman and many other current children's authors. This book reads aloud well, with enough humor and unexpected turns of event to keep even very young listeners riveted. 

Keywords: Orphans, Fantastic Journeys, Magic, Escape

This book can tie in to the English language arts standards for grades 3-5 beginning on page 70 of the Kentucky Academic Standards. 

Kentucky Department of Education. (2017). Kentucky Academic Standards. Retrieved September 20, 2017, from https://education.ky.gov/curriculum/standards/Pages/default.aspx