Revolting Rhymes facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Roald Dahl |
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| Illustrator | Quentin Blake |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Fairy tales |
| Genre | Children's poetry, satire |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
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Publication date
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1982 |
| Media type | Hardback |
| ISBN | 978-0-8479-8713-9 |
Revolting Rhymes is a fun collection of poems by Roald Dahl, first published in 1982. In this book, Dahl takes six well-known fairy tales and gives them a surprising, often funny, twist. Instead of the usual "happily ever after" endings, these tales have unexpected and sometimes shocking conclusions.
The poems are brought to life with illustrations by Quentin Blake. This book is actually the shortest children's book Roald Dahl ever wrote.
Contents
Twisted Fairy Tales
The book contains six poems, each one a retelling of a classic fairy tale. Dahl shows us what "really" happened in these familiar stories!
Cinderella
The story of Cinderella starts like the original. But then, one of the ugly stepsisters tries to trick the prince. She switches her shoe with Cinderella's glass slipper. When the prince sees the shoe fits, he becomes very angry. He decides not to marry her and has her sent away immediately.
He does the same to the second stepsister. When he turns to Cinderella, she makes a wish. She wishes to marry a kind, ordinary man instead. Her fairy godmother grants this wish. Cinderella ends up marrying a simple jam-maker.
Jack and the Beanstalk
In Jack and the Beanstalk, the beanstalk grows golden leaves at the top. Jack's mother tells him to climb up and get them. But when Jack hears the giant say he smells a human, Jack quickly climbs back down. He doesn't bring any gold.
Jack's mother then climbs up herself, saying Jack smells. But the giant eats her! Jack decides to take a bath. He then climbs up again, and because he is clean, the giant cannot smell him. Jack collects the golden leaves and becomes rich. From that day on, Jack makes sure to bathe every day.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs begins as you know it. The huntsman lets Snow White go free. She then finds a job as a cook and maid for seven former jockeys. These jockeys (the dwarfs) love to bet on horse races. However, they are not very good at it.
Snow White decides to help them. She sneaks back to steal the magic mirror. This mirror can predict which horse will win a race. With the mirror's help, the seven jockeys and Snow White become millionaires! The poem suggests that "Gambling is not a sin / Provided that you always win."
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears is told a bit differently. The main events are the same as the traditional tale. But the narrator keeps commenting on how rude Goldilocks is. The narrator clearly thinks everyone should side with the bears.
The narrator even tells the story as if talking to the Mother Bear. At the end, the narrator wishes for a different ending. They would prefer if the three bears came back and taught Goldilocks a lesson.
Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf
This poem is based on Little Red Riding Hood. The wolf goes into Grandma's house and eats her. Then he puts on her clothes to wait for Little Red Riding Hood. But Riding Hood is not scared at all.
She calmly pulls a pistol from her clothes. She aims it at the wolf's head and bravely stops him! This gives her a brand new wolfskin coat.
The Three Little Pigs
In The Three Little Pigs, the wolf quickly blows down the houses of straw and sticks. He eats the first two pigs. The third pig's house, made of bricks, is too strong. So, the wolf plans to come back that evening with a powerful explosive.
However, the third pig has a different plan. He asks Little Red Riding Hood to come and deal with the wolf. Red Riding Hood, being a great shot, helps out. She gets a second wolfskin coat and a pigskin travelling case from the adventure.
Audio and Animated Versions
Audio Books
An audio book version of Dahl's Revolting Rhymes was released. It was read by Timothy West and Prunella Scales. This audio version was also made into an OVA in the 1990s. Later, a different audio version was narrated by Scottish actor Alan Cumming.
Animated Shows
The book was adapted into an OVA that looked like Quentin Blake's drawings. Later, the book was made into a two-part computer-animated special for BBC One. It was first shown on December 26 and 27, 2016. This animated special was even nominated for Best Animated Short at the 90th Academy Awards.
