James and the Giant Peach
2007
I read this with my son as part of his bedtime routine—a first for us both! Neither of us has seen the movie, either, so we came in with fresh eyes, though we’ve each read other Roald Dahl books before.
Dahl’s vegetarian undertones are always appreciated by these vegan readers: James’s parents are killed by a rhinoceros that escaped the zoo, and the creatures you’d normally think of as pests are portrayed as intelligent, loyal friends. There’s also a real empathy for all living things, exemplified by Miss Spider recounting her father being killed and her grandmother being painted to the ceiling, which are genuinely harrowing moments for such a small book.
My son loved the magical touches, the running gag about Centipede’s obsession with his boots, the friendship and resilience themes, and the appearance of NYC at the end. We’d recently taken an overnight trip to the city together—his first real visit beyond Staten Island, where his grandparents live—so he was excited to recognize street names and monuments and attractions as they came up.
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