Christmas Countdown: Days 11, 12 - The Twelve Days of Christmas with Roald Dahl & Willy Wonka’s Everlasting Book of Fun


The Twelve Days of Christmas with Roald Dahl

This redunculusly good collection of festive activities to make and do by one of the world’s favourite story tellers, Roald Dahl is more fun than Dim’s Christmas Countdown. The Twelve Days of Christmas is a nifty little novel-sized compendium broken into twelve chapters that celebrate the most scrumptious and jolly best bits of the silly season. And you know there’ll be a fair amount of silly with Dahl at the helm of this particular sleigh ride.

Each chapter is a line out of the beloved Christmas carol and highlights a classic Dahl title; One Matilda in the Library; Two Smelly Twits…Five Golden Tickets…and so on. Everybody’s favourite characters get an airing and each chapter relates in some obscure, tricksy way to the novel’s theme. Cleverness aside, this book is a genuine cache of Christmas craft and art, gob-smacking recipes (you must try the Chocolate and Brussels Sprouts pie) , puzzles, pranks, gift ideas and mind-benders designed to cater to the abstract thinker and nudge out a little bit of lateral thought from the rest of us.

Sprinkled with generous helpings of goofy jokes, spiced with Dahl’s own special gobblefunk language and slathered with layers of Quentin Blake’s trademark Dahl character illustrations and you have the quintessential stocking filler that guarantees hours of hooting and maximum satisfaction, good enough to eat. This little number encourages creativity and independent thinking that can be performed singularly or shared with siblings, parents and friends; it’s Christmas perfect.

Title:  The Twelve Days of Christmas
Author:  Roald Dahl
Illustrator:  Quentin Blake
Publisher:  Puffin, $12.99
Publication Date:  November 2019
Format:  Paperback
ISBN: 9780241428122
For ages:  7+
Type:  Activity Book

Buy the Book: QBD, Boomerang Books, Booktopia


Willy Wonka’s Everlasting Book of Fun

For those who simply can’t get enough of the sweet stuff over the holidays, check out another of the Roald Dahl Activity Books; Willy Wonka’s Everlasting Book of Fun. This is FUN in capital letters and like the Christmas collection is stuffed full of memorable things to make, do, think about, invent, eat, and draw. Wonka implores you to remember sweets and chocolates are delicious but to also to eat some vegetables now and then, thus recipes for Fudgemallow Delight and Strawberry-flavoured Chocolate-coated Fudge are thoughtfully balanced with instructions on making Cabbage Soup. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to exercise your science muscle and learn how to Make a Blueberry Dance. You guessed it; all the chocolate factory visitors are represented in an array of outrageously ingenious inventions, experiments and projects.

Wonka fans will wiggle with delight as they solve yet more puzzles and feast on trivia in this fantabulous factory tour with the world’s most extraordinary chocolate tycoon. This assortment of make and dos is simply too good for words. Both books highly recommended as gifts that keep on giving.

Title: Willy Wonka’s Everlasting Book of Fun
Author:  Roald Dahl
Illustrator:  Quentin Blake
Publisher:  Puffin, $14.99
Publication Date:  February 2020
Format:  Paperback
ISBN: 9780241428139
For ages: 7+
Type:  Activity Book

Buy the Book: QBD, Boomerang Books, Readings

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