September is Roald Dahl Month

Did you know that September 13th is Roald Dahl's birthday and officially Roald Dahl Day? I had no idea until I received a package from Penguin Young Readers Group that was full of information about Mr. Dahl and his books, but I think it's a wonderful idea! I have fond memories of reading CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and CHARLIE AND THE GREAT GLASS ELEVATOR when I was a child, and my daughter has enjoyed JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH and MATILDA in recent years. I think parents and kids both agree that his books are so entertaining and allow us to use our imaginations!

I admit that I didn't know a lot about Mr. Dahl; but after reviewing the materials I received about him, I was just amazed by how the number of books he wrote. I guess that's why the celebration is actually going on for the entire month of September instead of just one day!

To help you celebrate, there is a Complete Roald Dahl Day Kit and everything in it is free to download. They've thought of everything that you might need to organize Roald Dahl activities and celebrations for a day or a year including:

Classroom activities: ideas, lesson plans and worksheets for classroom-based activities.

Event tool kits: all the extra materials available to run Roald Dahl-themed events.

Schools' ideas: the best ideas from schools themselves.

There is also a great Roald Day calendar that contains terrific ideas for activities and crafts inspired by some of his most memorable books and characters. I sincerely hope that parents and teachers alike will be able to incorporate these ideas because they sound like loads of fun!

If you are interested in learning more about Roald Dahl, you must check out this amazing website which is devoted to all things Roald Dahl! It's has lots of great graphics as well as a bio of Mr. Dahl and a complete listing of his works.

And last, but certainly not least: Penguin Young Readers Group is holding a Golden Ticket Sweepstakes! If you are lucky enough to win the grand prize, you will receive a private hometown screening of the new movie "Fantastic Mr. Fox." In addition, you will win a prize pack of movie promotional items, a signed movie poster, and a library of Roald Dahl books and DVDs. You can print out your very own sweepstakes form via a link at www.roalddahl.com.