The BFG facts for kids
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First edition cover
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| Author | Roald Dahl |
|---|---|
| Original title | THE BFG |
| Illustrator | Quentin Blake |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Fiction |
| Genre | Children's, Fantasy |
| Published | 14 January 1982 Jonathan Cape (original) Penguin Books (current) |
| Media type | Paperback |
| Pages | 208 |
| ISBN | 0-224-02040-4 |
The BFG (which stands for The Big Friendly Giant) is a famous children's book. It was written by the British author Roald Dahl and has amazing pictures by Quentin Blake. The book came out in 1982.
This story grew from a shorter tale in Dahl's 1975 book, Danny, the Champion of the World. Roald Dahl dedicated The BFG to his daughter, Olivia. The book has sold millions of copies around the world.
The BFG has been made into movies and plays. An animated film came out in 1989. Later, Steven Spielberg directed a live-action movie in 2016.
Contents
The Story of The BFG
The story begins with an eight-year-old orphan girl named Sophie. She lives in an orphanage run by Mrs. Clonkers. One night, Sophie can't sleep. She looks out the window and sees something very strange. A giant man is walking down the street! He carries a bag and a special trumpet.
The giant sees Sophie watching him. Even though she tries to hide, the giant reaches through her window and picks her up! He then runs super fast to his huge cave.
Sophie Meets the BFG
When the giant puts Sophie down, she is very scared. She thinks he will eat her! But the giant laughs. He explains that most giants do eat humans, who he calls "human beans." He even says that people from different places taste different. For example, people from Greece taste "greasy."
But this giant is different. He tells Sophie he is the Big Friendly Giant, or BFG for short. He promises he will not eat her.
Life in the Giant's Cave
The BFG tells Sophie she must stay with him forever. This is so no one finds out about giants. He warns her that his nine giant neighbours are very dangerous. They love to eat "human beans" and will surely eat her if they catch her.
The BFG then explains his special job. He catches dreams in Dream Country. He stores the good dreams in his cave. Then, he uses his trumpet to blow good dreams into children's bedrooms all over the world. He destroys the bad dreams, or nightmares.
The only food the BFG eats is something called "snozzcumbers." These are disgusting, striped, cucumber-like vegetables. They have bumpy growths and taste awful to Sophie. The BFG says they taste like "slime wanglers."
A Close Call and Frobscottle
One day, another giant called the Bloodbottler storms into the BFG's cave. Sophie quickly hides inside a snozzcumber. The Bloodbottler almost eats her by accident! Luckily, he spits her out because he finds the snozzcumber disgusting.
When Sophie gets thirsty, the BFG offers her a fizzy drink called "frobscottle." This drink is special because its bubbles go downwards instead of upwards. This makes people "whizzpop," which is a funny word for noisy burps and farts!
Dream Country and the Man-Eating Giants
The next morning, the BFG takes Sophie to Dream Country. There, he shows her how he catches dreams. But the man-eating giants often bother them. The biggest and scariest of these giants is the Fleshlumpeater.
By mistake, the BFG catches a nightmare. He uses it to cause a fight among the other giants. The Fleshlumpeater has a nightmare about a giant killer named Jack.
Meeting the Queen
Sophie later convinces the BFG to ask the Queen of England for help. They need to stop the man-eating giants. Sophie knows London well, so she guides the BFG to Buckingham Palace.
The BFG creates a special nightmare for the Queen. This dream tells her all about the man-eating giants. It also shows Sophie in the Queen's bedroom. Because the dream was so real, the Queen believes Sophie and talks to the BFG.
Stopping the Giants
The Queen sends helicopters to the giants' homeland. The giants are tied up while they sleep. The helicopters then carry them back to London. They are put into a very deep pit with high walls and a strong fence. The BFG is lowered into the pit to untie them.
The BFG explains why the giants are being imprisoned. The Fleshlumpeater gets very angry and threatens to eat the BFG. But the BFG is safely pulled out of the pit. The man-eating giants are then only fed snozzcumbers. One time, some drunken men climb into the pit and are eaten by the giants. Meanwhile, Sophie's old orphanage is closed down and sold.
A New Home and a Book
After all this, a huge castle is built for the BFG. Sophie gets a small cottage right next door. They live happily in England. Many countries that were bothered by the giants send them gifts. These countries include England, Sweden, Arabia, India, Panama, Tibet, Jersey, Chile, and New Zealand.
Sophie teaches the BFG how to read and write properly. He then writes a book about their adventures. This book is the very novel you are reading, and he writes it under the name "Roald Dahl"!
Main Characters
- Sophie: She is an eight-year-old orphan girl. Sophie is smart, brave, and kind. She becomes a hero by helping to stop the man-eating giants. In the 1989 film, Amanda Root voiced her. Ruby Barnhill played her in the 2016 film.
- The BFG: He is a 24-foot-tall giant. He is very friendly and has amazing hearing and speed. His main job is to collect good dreams and give them to children. He is known as the 'Big Friendly Giant'. David Jason voiced him in the 1989 film. Mark Rylance played him in the 2016 film.
- The Queen: She is the Queen of England. She is strong and helps Sophie and the BFG. Angela Thorne voiced her in the 1989 film. Penelope Wilton played her in the 2016 film.
- Mary: The Queen's maid.
- Mr. Tibbs: The Queen's butler.
- Mrs. Clonkers: The strict director of the orphanage where Sophie lives at the start of the story.
- The Heads of the Army and the Air Force: Two officers who work for the Queen.
- Nine Man-Eating Giants: These giants are about 50 feet tall. They are very strong and only wear skirt-like clothes. The BFG says that humans from different countries taste different to them. For example, people from Turks taste like turkey.
- The Fleshlumpeater: He is the leader of the man-eating giants. He is the biggest and most horrible of them all.
- The Bloodbottler: He is the second-in-command and one of the smartest giants. He likes the taste of human blood.
- The Manhugger: One of the man-eating giants.
- The Meatdripper: He pretends to be a tree to catch humans.
- The Childchewer: One of the man-eating giants.
- The Butcher Boy: The youngest of the man-eating giants.
- The Maidmasher: One of the man-eating giants.
- The Bonecruncher: He likes to eat people from Turkey.
- The Gizzardgulper: The shortest of the man-eating giants. He often hides on rooftops to grab people.
Awards and Recognition
The BFG has won many awards.
- In 1985, it won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis for best children's book in Germany.
- In 1991, it won the Read Alone and Read Aloud BILBY Awards.
- In 2003, it was ranked number 56 in "The Big Read," a survey by the BBC to find Britain's "Nation's Best-loved Novel."
- In 2007, the U.S. National Education Association listed The BFG among the "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children."
- In 2012, it was ranked number 88 among all-time children's novels by School Library Journal.
Adaptations of The BFG
The BFG has been brought to life in different ways.
Comic Strip
From 1986 to 1998, the story was turned into a newspaper comic strip. It was created by Brian Lee and Bill Asprey and appeared in Mail on Sunday. Roald Dahl himself approved the early stories. The comic strip continued even after Dahl passed away.
Stage Play
The book was made into a play by David Wood. It first opened in 1991 at the Wimbledon Theatre.
Films
1989 Animated Film
On December 25, 1989, an animated film based on the book was shown on ITV. It was made by Cosgrove Hall Films. David Jason was the voice of the BFG, and Amanda Root voiced Sophie.
2016 Live-Action Film
Walt Disney Pictures made a live-action movie of The BFG. It was directed by Steven Spielberg. The film starred Mark Rylance as the BFG and Ruby Barnhill as Sophie. It was released on July 1, 2016, and received good reviews.
TV Series
A TV series based on The BFG is being made for Netflix. It is part of a larger project to create animated shows based on Roald Dahl's books.
Images for kids
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First edition cover
See also
In Spanish: El gran gigante bonachón para niños
