The Magic Finger

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The next day, the girl goes to their house and finds the family smashing up their guns and setting up graves for the birds that they killed.

I remember not liking The Magic Finger as a kid despite being a huge Roald Dahl fan but I couldn’t quite put my finger (ahhh!

this one does not even warrant mention in anyone's naming of Roald Dahl's works off the top of their head. Even that infamous photo of an American dentist standing over a lion he shot is more nuanced than the narrative pushed of some rich asshole wanting to prove he’s a “real man” by killing a “noble creature”.

While trying out their new wings, the Greggs fly out of their beloved house, which is promptly occupied by four human-sized ducks with human arms and human hands, and they are all soon forced to build a nest in an old tree for the night. This style of whole class reading, in which you are able to dip into a different text each day, is great for broadening the number of texts that children are exposed to and increasing their enthusiasm for reading. The reader learns of a secret power possessed by the narrator, whereby an itching feeling from the tip of the finger leads to a small white flash and then all is changed for the better. If memory serves, this was one story that earned Dahl a significant amount of money when he was still getting into the children's genre (before Charlie Bucket and The BFG). Not my favourite Roald Dahl, it wasn't quite as magical or memorable as Matilda or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, nevertheless it was still a quick, fun story about talking ducks and a girl with a magic finger.His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide; they include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, and The Fantastic Mr. Children of many generations can surely rely on being entertained and educated with these wonderful pieces. She is the first person the narrator uses her powers on, inadvertently turning her, partially, into a cat.

Pequeño cuentito de la mano de Dahl, donde nuevamente vemos sus mismos ingredientes: adultos malos, algún niño o niña que hace justicia y un grupo de animalitos que ayudan.It’s certainly thought-provoking and inspired an entire conversation with my family about eating meat and how we should be responsible and care for the animals we have. After a night of fitful rest, all four members of the family arise to find that their hands have been replaced with wings and they are banished outside, forced to fend for themselves. I could go on but I’ll just leave it at this: hunting is vastly more complex than simply seeing it as a sadistic activity for psychos. Every member of the Gregg family is now part duck, with wings instead of hands, and bodies about the size of other birds.