Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Colour Edition)

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A 2004 study found that it was a common read-aloud book for fourth-graders in schools in San Diego County, California. [34] A 2012 survey by the University of Worcester determined that it was one of the most common books that UK adults had read as children, after Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and The Wind in the Willows. [35]

Similar accusations pursued Dahl through the 70s and 80s and are still – very occasionally – heard today. Dahl rebutted most of them to his own satisfaction by reiterating his belief – last stated in an interview in the journal Children's Literature in Education in 1990, the year he died – that "a good children's book teaches the uses of words, the joy of playing with language. Above all it helps children learn not to be frightened of books … If my books can help children become readers, then I feel I have accomplished something important." His primary task, he felt, was to entertain rather than inform. Dahl was born in 1916 in Wales to wealthy Norwegian parents, was educated in England, and later worked in Kenya and modern-day Tanzania on behalf of Shell Oil. He joined the Royal Air Force during World War II, and was a squadron leader. His first published work (inspired by a conversation with “Horatio Hornblower” creator C.S. Forester) was a story about his wartime adventures. He died in 1990 (and was ranked Forbes’s highest paid dead celebrity in 2021) and did not avoid criticism in his own lifetime.

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Kit, Borys (12 February 2018). " 'Paddington' Director Paul King in Talks for 'Willy Wonka' (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018 . Retrieved 23 February 2018.

The book has been adapted into two major motion pictures: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in 1971, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2005. The leather is vegetable tanned goatskin pared by hand to create a seamless and smooth finish. All cover decoration is tooled by hand with specially made individual brass tools on 24ct genuine gold leaf, with onlays of pink and green leather to represent candy. The river of chocolate has been created with varying shades of brown leather and blind tooling. All lettering has been carried out with individual hand letters. One of the most beloved children’s stories of the 20th century, Charlie and the Chocolate Factoryby Roald Dahl is a masterpiece of pure imagination.

The statement continued, “We hope that, just as he did at his best, at his absolute worst, Roald Dahl can help remind us of the lasting impact of words.”