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I cannot believe this is happening!

Roald Dahl’s children’s books are being rewritten by publisher Puffin to remove language deemed offensive. New editions of the popular children’s books written by Roald Dahl have been released with edited language to make them more inclusive and accessible to wider audiences.The words “black” and “white” have been removed, e.g. characters no longer turn “white with fear” and the Big Friendly Giant does not wear a black cloak…Miss Trunchbull in “Matilda”, originally described as a “most formidable female”, is now a “most formidable woman”...Augustus Gloop from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, is no longer “enormously fat,” just “enormous”...In the same book, the Oompa Loompas were originally “small men”, but are now “small people”...In “The Witches” a supernatural female posing as an ordinary woman may be working as a “top scientist or running a business” instead of as a “cashier in a supermarket or typing letters for a businessman”...In the same book, a paragraph explaining that witches are bald beneath their wigs ends with the new line: “There are plenty of other reasons why women might wear wigs and there is certainly nothing wrong with that”...The use of the word "ugly" has been removed from the books…

Ivonne Holliday ● 846d26 Comments

"and even on to adult pornography."Now don't put down adult pornography, Mr Hawkes.

David Ainsworth ● 841d

"Due to themes of death and the fact that the main characters are talking animals, a parent group in Kansas sought to ban the book from their students’ school libraries. They argued that talking animals are “unnatural and blasphemous as humans are the highest level of God’s creation.”"https://tinyurl.com/3yv73nf7---------------------------"prisons in Michigan have banned dictionaries in Spanish and Swahili. The spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Corrections explains that if the prisoners learned a “very obscure language,” they could then speak freely with each other about prohibited activities."

David Ainsworth ● 841d

The saddest thing about all this fuss is not that some pathetic busybody thinks that children would be upset or offended by the words used in these books.Obviously that person has no children of his/her own or they would know how resilient and insensitive to such issues children are.To them it's books and words - end of, and the books they have access to anyway are from well supervised sources such as schools, libraries or Waterstones.The real issue is how prevalent and popular book reading now is or is not for children.I have no doubt that a large number whose sensitivity is being cosseted never read a book and are spending hours on their smart phones watching garbage ranging from Brooklyn Beckham cooking a bacon sandwich to pouting Love Island 'celebs' with pneumatic lips and other body parts and even on to adult pornography.

John Hawkes ● 841d

Sounds like a great big publicity stunt.  The great thing is that it gets people discussing the language used in the books.Many authors have had bad marks put against their names for one reason or another - but that surely doesn't mean that all that they have written should be mucked about with.What is also worrying is the dumbing down of literature.  Will we end of with books (well writing) just using words of one syllable? I remember writing to a publisher of an American book suggesting that it would be a good idea for them to put a Glossary in so that we could fully understand some of the words. It is so much easier now that you can look up words on the internet.  I wasn't quite sure what a Hershey bar was  - I did know that cotton candy was candy floss. I remember Charlotte's Web being absolutely brilliant as I was reading this to a child every night and whenever there was a big word my heart would sink as I thought I was going to have to come up a with a succinct definition - but then Charlotte would explain - and I'd breathe a sigh of relief!I heard on the radio the other day that Charlotte's Web had been on a list of banned books too.  I haven't researched that yet.  I don't remember anything outrageous.

Philippa Bond ● 842d

Was going to post the same Jane.

Maxine Campbell ● 842d

Rather fast all this.Wikipedia:-"By 1985, Coca-Cola had been losing market share to diet soft drinks and non-cola beverages for several years. Blind taste tests suggested that consumers preferred the sweeter taste of the competing product Pepsi, and so the Coca-Cola recipe was reformulated. The American public reacted negatively, and New Coke was considered a major failure.The company reintroduced the original Coke formula within three months, rebranded "Coca-Cola Classic", resulting in a significant sales boost. This led to speculation that the New Coke formula was a ploy to stimulate sales of the original Coca-Cola, which the company has denied."

David Ainsworth ● 842d

Yes, it is very good news!Puffin will create the "Roald Dahl Classic Collection" which will have all the original texts.On the side, they will sell Roald Dahl's books that have been edited.....

Ivonne Holliday ● 842d

Looks as if it isn’t happening after allRoald Dahl's books are to be printed in their original form, following criticism of the decision to amend novels including The BFG, making them more suitable for modern audiences.

Jane Carter ● 842d

Also Plonker or crazy.

Barbara Stevens ● 845d

Don't know if anybody else new this or am I thick. But WILLY WONKA, Wonka actually is a childish name for genitalia. So Willy and Wonka, I would have thought was more worrying than saying fat.

Barbara Stevens ● 845d

Shouldn't that be the Quinoa Cory?

Philippa Bond ● 845d

The wonderful Matt!

Judy Allen ● 845d

Matt in The Telegraph this morning:

Ivonne Holliday ● 845d

Are we going to be told that Roald Dahl was only a good guy, not a complex and conflicted person?

David Ainsworth ● 846d

Hello Judy and Lucille,Yes, Roal Dahl had his points of view which we do not like today.However, his books are amazing and loved by many children, be they be young or older.We can separate the artist from his work, and his work was brilliant.Are we also going to "cleanse" nursery rhymes?  Ring a ring or roses, Bah bah black sheep, Rockabye baby, This little piggy went to market, Three blind mice, etc etc.  What about The Teddy Bears Picnic?  Should the words be re-written, as suggested by a friend of mine, "'Don't go down to the woods today unless an adult knows where you are.. "Should we "cleanse" Charles Dickens and Shakespeare too?Should Ali Baba and the forty thieves be re-written too? Please, do not forget Cindarella, Snow white, etc.What about Black Beauty?

Ivonne Holliday ● 846d

Children love Roald Dahl books the way that they aren't all nice and boring.  That's why children who find it difficult will struggle and strive to read them.  Roald Dahl changed some of the ones that would be considered racist years ago as they were out of step with current times.  To changes words like 'ugly' and 'screechy' and 'greedy' and 'fat' is absolutely crazy. Oops I don't suppose 'crazy' is allowed either.  And it isn't April 1st.

Philippa Bond ● 846d

Why not just buy excellent children's books by contemporary writers? Simple.

Lucille Grant ● 846d

i agree, Judy. How are children to learn that racism or anti sémitism is wrong if they are not able to see it? As you say, let them find it and discuss.And yes, Sue, welcome back. I hope you are better. Take care.

Jane Carter ● 846d

As Netflix now own the rights to Roald Dahl's books, perhaps you are right!

Ivonne Holliday ● 846d

Sounds like good news to me as the publicity will help sell more of his books. Children's books are quite a competitive market.Some will no doubt rush out to secure a set of the current edition, while others may replace their existing set.I'm glad you are feeling better Sue.

Ed Robinson ● 846d

Welcome back Sue :)As a Star Wars fan i'm worried about Darth Vader!

Matt Palmer ● 846d

Welcome back, Sue.

Michael Ixer ● 846d

See Sue, we all love you. Glad your back. The way it is going we will not able able to speak at all. We will end up just thinking what people are thinking.

Barbara Stevens ● 846d

Welcome back, Sue.Roald Dahl was at the least racist, mysoginist ,and anti-semitic and that came through in his books but he had an astonishing knack of appealing to children and giving the most reluctant readers an enthusiasm for books that no other writer seemed to manage. Whatever you think of his unpleasant views I don't think you should rewrite him. Especially not now he's dead.  Get children involved in a discussion about his views, get them thinking, maybe try to get them to read other writers as well, but don't butcher them.

Judy Allen ● 846d

Sue, welcome back!!I hope you are feeling much better!

Ivonne Holliday ● 846d

Woke bollox! 🙄

Sue Hammond ● 846d