Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a classic children's book. First published in 1964, the book was re-issued in a special "40th Anniversary Edition" in 2004. This review refers to both the book in general and to the special edition.

Charlie is a poor boy living in a small run-down house with his mother and father and his four grandparents. The four grandparents are so old and frail that they spend all their time lying in one large bed. The family is so poor that they don't have enough to eat, and then Charlie's father loses his job, and the family begins to starve.

Not far from the house in which Charlie lives is a huge chocolate factory owned by Mr. Willy Wonka. Willy Wonka is a master at inventing new kinds of candy and chewing gum and other sweets. His factory is manned not by human workers but by small Oompa-Loompas, miniature people who work hard and love to sing.

Willy Wonka's amazing factory is closed to the public, but Charlie and four other children (and their parents) get to visit the factory one day. The other four children have various behavioral problems, and they all, one by one, get their comeuppance. Willy Wonka blithely comments that they just got what they deserved, and the Oompa-Loompas sing an amusing song for each of the four children to mark their departure from the tour of the factory!

Children seem to think so. They love the story and they love the quirky and strange Mr. Willy Wonka and his fantastic inventions and they delight in the songs of the Oompa-Loompas and the beguiling illustrations. So who am I, a mere adult, to argue?

So five stars for the book, based on it being a children's book that children love.

The book has been filmed twice, in 1971 with Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, and in 2005 with Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. I've never seen the 1971 movie. The 2005 movie is great, but it should be noted that Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka is a somewhat different and much more developed character than the simpler Willy Wonka of the book.

And finally, a few comments about the "40th Anniversary Edition". As far as I can determine, all that is special about this special edition is that it is hardcover and that it has a very nice dust jacket with a bit of gold printing on it. Frankly, I'm disappointed that when they advertise a book as being a "Special 40th Anniversary Edition" that the contents have not been made special in some way.

Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake

Reader Reviews:

What's so special about the special edition? (7/8 people found this helpful)

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