Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary

Gr 2-5--Roald Dahl fans, writers, and lovers of language will delight in this unusual dictionary filled with whimsical wordplay and full-color illustrations by Blake. In each entry, a quote from one of Dahl's stories or poems uses the word in a sentence (for instance, for "scrumdiddlyumptious," from The BFG, "Fleshlumpeater says he is never eating queen and he thinks perhaps she has an especially scrumdiddlyumptious flavour"). Each spread contains several nonsense or invented terms or names of characters from the author's books; these are highlighted in blue to differentiate them from standard English words. In addition, there are "ringbelling rhymes" for would-be poets, "sparky synonyms," and lengthier sidebars called "Gobblefunking with Words," which may prompt lessons on subjects such as similes, metaphors, prefixes, suffixes, alliteration, spoonerisms, compound words, and onomatopoeia. Teachers will find the detailed lists of synonyms for commonly used words ("big," "small," "bad," "good," "move," and "say") particularly useful for aspiring writers. Occasional "Did You Know?" headings and footnotes discuss word origins and interesting facts ("A malapropism is when you use a word by miss cake"). Teachers and librarians might want to feature a Dahl "word of the day" during this centennial year--or any year. VERDICT A delightful, inspiring, and unique reference for most collections.--Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"It's hard to find the right word to express our levels of excitement around the Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary. Squacking? Jumpsquiffling? Gigantuous? Roald Dahl's inventive, playful use of language is such a key element of his writing, whether he was using existing words in his own mischievous way or inventing extra-usual new ones. It is wonderful to have this dictionary compiled with such expertise, passion and wit by Dr. Susan Rennie and the team at OUP. There could be no more fitting way to pay tribute to Roald Dahl in the year of celebrations for his centenary. Best of all, as a fully-functioning dictionary for readers and writers aged eight and above, I hope it serves as a swashboggling source of inspiration for a whole new generation of storytellers."
— Luke Kelly, Managing Director of the Roald Dahl Literary Estate and Roald Dahl's grandson

"A great way for an established fan to spend time in the scrumdiddlyumptious space that is [Dahl's] world. Bonus points if you like to gobblefunk." —The Horn Book

"For children who devour the stories of Roald Dahl, and for parents who dearly wish to encourage their children's interest in words and reading, comes a spliffling, gloriumptious, whoopsey-splunkers compilation of the vocabulary (both real and confected) that the great Dahl used in 'The BFG, ' 'Matilda' and other books. Sprinkled with Quentin Blake's witty, ebullient illustrations, 'The Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary' is cleverly organized by Susan Rennie to work partly as a word guide and partly as a spur to gobblefunk with words (without erroneously biffsquiggling, of course) like the master himself." —The Wall Street Journal

"The best dictionary for children this year." —New York Journal of Books

"This delightful book compiled by Rennie goes beyond any typical dictionary for children... Educators who are using Dahl's fiction or poems in the classroom will find this an excellent supplementary text for inspiring children to play with words. Highly recommended." —CHOICE