Esio Trot

Esio Trot
Roald Dahl
Puffin, 2004, 56p


Seeing as it's Roald Dahl Day on September 13th, I thought I'd celebrate in style. Whilst creating an incredible display with my wonderful library assistant, I felt like I was on a trip down memory lane. I had a collection of Roald Dahl books when I was little (which I think still reside in my parent's attic), and I read and reread those stories over and over again.

Esio Trot was the one I chose to reread this time. It's the story of a man who finds the confidence to woo the woman he loves by fulfilling her wish of seeing her tortoise grow. He buys 140 tortoises and swaps her light weight pet for a slightly larger counterpart, then another one, slightly larger, then another, until her tortoise has doubled in size. Of course, it's not her original tortoise that grows, but Mrs Silver seems satisfied. And at the end, Dahl satisfied our curiosity by telling us that the original pet, Alfie, was adopted by a young girl, alongside whom he eventually grew into a bigger tortoise.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read - the style is simple and witty and light-hearted. There is no evil or drama (though upon careful consideration, Mr Hoppy's lies do seem rather deceitful and unnecessary); just a lovely story with a happy ending. Reading Dahl makes me feel all warm and comfortable. 


Happy Roald Dahl Day!