This book is a very cute account of the life of Roald Dahl, the author of famous books such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and James and the Giant Peach. The book is written chronologically from his birth in Wales to his death after being a very successful children’s book writer. It was very intriguing to see in short snippets how Dahl was when he was a child and some of the amazing adventures he went on after he graduated high school. And it was surprising to know that he was a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II. I also learned he came to America to be an Ambassador to England. The book was very full of exciting stories and interesting tidbits about Dahl’s life.
The organization of the book was very appropriate, going from his birth to his death. There was quite a relatively lengthy section on his childhood, probably to bring in the younger audience to read about how he was just like most of them. The story uses language appropriate for readers anywhere from 3rd to 6th grade. The illustrations were very poignant depictions of all of the major events discussed in his life, but were not too graphic to turn anyone away. For instance there was an incident where Dahl crashed his plane and had to crawl to safety before he passes out, all of which was depicted in an illustration. However, the illustration was very cartoon-like and did not make me the least squeamish.
I cold see this book being used in a 3rd through 6th grade English class as a biographical project to be presented to the class. Seeing how the book is only about 30 pages long, it would be appropriate for children who are just starting out writing essays or reports, or else it would have to be used with a combination of other books to add depth to a longer piece.

This would be a great book for author studies. Many students who find Roald Dahl's writings fun may love to read about him.