Dirty Beasts facts for kids
Dirty Beasts is a super fun collection of poems by the famous writer Roald Dahl. It was first published in 1983. This book is all about animals, but not just any animals! These creatures get into some really wild and unexpected adventures. It's like a follow-up to another one of Dahl's popular books, Revolting Rhymes.
Contents
Discovering Dirty Beasts
Illustrations and Audiobooks
The first edition of Dirty Beasts had drawings by Rosemary Faucet. But a year later, in 1984, a new version came out with illustrations by the well-known artist Quentin Blake. His drawings are often seen in Roald Dahl's books!
You can also listen to Dirty Beasts! In the 1980s, actors Prunella Scales and Timothy West read the poems for an audiobook. Later, other actors like Pam Ferris, Geoffrey Palmer, and Alan Cumming also recorded the stories.
There was even an animated video version released in the 1990s! It featured the same actors, Prunella Scales and Timothy West, telling the tales. Later, Dawn French and Martin Clunes re-recorded the narrations for newer releases.
The Amazing Animal Poems
This book has nine exciting poems. Each one tells a funny or surprising story about an animal. Well, most of them are real animals! One is a made-up creature called the Tummy Beast. Let's look at some of the poems:
The Pig
A very smart pig figures out that humans plan to eat him. So, he turns the tables! Instead of being eaten, he decides to eat his owner, the farmer, first!
The Crocodile
A father tells his son a bedtime story about a crocodile named Crocky-Wock. This crocodile eats six children every Saturday! He likes to add mustard to the boys and butterscotch to the girls. But is Crocky-Wock just a story?
The Lion
A waiter tries to offer a lion many different kinds of meat. But the lion turns down every single dish. Finally, the lion tells the waiter exactly what he wants to eat. And it's not steak!
The Scorpion
This poem introduces Sting-a-ling, a black scorpion. He loves to sting people when they are in bed. A boy feels something crawling towards him and then gets stung by Sting-a-ling!
The Anteater
Roy is a spoiled boy who lives near San Francisco Bay. He wants a new pet and chooses a giant anteater. His father buys one from India for a lot of money. The anteater arrives very hungry. Roy cruelly sends it to find ants, but there are none. When Roy's Aunt Dorothy visits, the anteater hears "ant" and eats her! Then, the anteater finds Roy hiding and decides he's dessert.
The Porcupine
A girl buys sweets and sits on what she thinks is a nice "rock." But it's actually a porcupine! She gets lots of quills stuck in her. Her mother takes her to the dentist, Mr. Myers, who charges a lot to remove them. This poem reminds us to be careful where we sit!
The Cow
A cow named Miss Milky Daisy suddenly grows beautiful gold and silver wings! She becomes a huge celebrity. Everyone loves her, except for one rude man from Afghanistan. He insults the flying cow. Daisy gets angry and drops a cowpat right on him!
The Toad and the Snail
A boy is playing in a park when a huge toad appears. The toad reminds him of his Auntie Emily. The boy and the toad leap all over England and even go to France! The French people want to cook and eat the toad's legs. But the toad presses a button and turns into a giant snail! The French still want to eat him. So, the snail pulls a lever and becomes a Roly-Poly Bird! The boy and the bird then fly back home.
The Tummy Beast
A boy tells his mother that a creature is living in his tummy. His mother doesn't believe him and sends him to his room. But then a voice from the boy's tummy speaks! It says if it doesn't get food, it will twist his insides. The boy asks his mother if she believes him now, but she has fainted!
Roald Dahl's Inspiration
Roald Dahl often wrote about mean or horrid adults in his poems and stories. This is because he had many strict teachers and grown-ups during his own childhood. He used these experiences to create his memorable characters.
Musical Settings
Some of the poems from Dirty Beasts have even been turned into music! Martin Butler created a musical setting for "The Pig," "The Tummy Beast," and "The Crocodile." It's for a narrator, a wind quintet, and a piano.
