The BFG
“[...] I is a freaky giant! I is a nice and jumbly Giant! I is the only nice and jumbly Giant in the Giant Country! I is THE BIG FRIENDLY GIANT! I is the BFG. What is your name?”
The BFG is the second book I completed for the Roald Dahl Reading Marathon. I started reading The BFG in the late afternoon, managed to throw in an afternoon nap, and completed it just in time before dinner.
The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) is indeed a special giant. It’s another fun book and an imaginative one to boot. On the cover with the BFG is little Sophie who was kidsnatched out of her bedroom into Giantland. So this time I’m off on another fantastical journey that involves even the Queen of England!
When the young Sophie looks out of her bedroom window during the witching hour, she sees something huge lurking about. That huge figure then sees Sophie, goes to her window, bundles her out of her bed, and spirits her away into the night. The BFG travels on foot at great speed and brings her back into his cave. She is frightened out of her wits but soon discovers the BFG is really a jolly nice fellow.
The BFG is unschooled and learned English on his own. He often jumbles up his words and speaks in a funny manner. Sophie also finds out that he is a dream-blowing giant. If you want to know where dreams come from, the BFG is certainly responsible for catching them, bottling them up, and blowing them to sleeping folks at night. He categorizes the dreams into phizzwizard (great dream), trogglehumper (nightmare) and ringbeller (funny dream). The dreams are even further categorized for boys and girls. Really interesting!
While Sophie speaks perfect English, I cannot say the same for the giants including the BFG. Dahl made up a lot of interesting words in this story (as in his other stories such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). Some of the words are “hipswitch,” “bunkumhouse,” “hippodumplings,” “fizzwiggler,” “buzzburgers,” “propsposterous,” “snozzcumber,” etc. Sophie has no trouble understanding his language (including the tangled grammar) but she has to translate them for the other adults later in the story.
The story gets really exciting when Sophie and the BFG could no longer stand the other human bean-eating giants that go about hunting for their prey every night in various countries. Oh yes, the BFG is the only vegetarian giant. They come up with a plan and off they go to see the Queen of England! You must read the story to know more.
I had loads of fun reading how Sophie and her giant friend eliminate the bad giants such as the Fleshlumpeater, the Bonecruncher, the Manhugger, the Childchewer, and five others with equally terrifying names. There is even a mention of Jack (and the beanstalk), who is the giants’ biggest nightmare. As always, there are laugh-out-loud moments and every page is delightful!
Now for the third book in queue: Matilda.
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