James and the Giant Peach (Fantasy)

James and the Giant Peach 

By Roald Dahl, illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert 

(Fantasy/Intermediate Reader)

James and the Giant Peach is the story of a boy named James who escapes from a lonely life with his two mean Aunts by way of a giant peach that grew after some magic fell into the soil of peach tree. James and his companions, a collection of giant insects touched by the same magic, set off on an imaginative adventure, encountering challenges, coming together as friends and collaborators, unsure of where they’ll end up.

James and the Giant Peach is part of the fantasy genre because of its magical elements which “suspend scientific explanations and natural laws” (Galda, 2010, p. 208). The existence of giant insects with human traits as main characters in the book bring it towards the subgenre of animal fantasy.

The book is set in England, beginning with James living a lonely life with his two horrible Aunts, Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge “in a queer ramshackle house on the top of a high hill in the south of England” (Dahl, 1989, p. 2). The majority of the story, however, takes place within the giant peach as it travels from the garden of this house to the sea, to the sky, and eventually to New York. The peach becomes a sort of door into the fantasy world; the vehicle by which James escapes his old life and enters a world of unknown. This is a journey story, and the plot centers around James’ adventure in the peach. He meets several challenges throughout the story, and each are met with a combination of luck, wits, and daring on the part of James and his insect companions that stay within the realm of believability in the fantastical world of the book. For example, when the peach rolls into the ocean and is being attacked by sharks, James has the idea to lift the peach out of the water by hooking it to a huge flock of seagulls using string made by the Silkworm and Miss Spider. Themes include teamwork, family, adventure, suffering, growing up, and good winning over evil.

James is by far the most complex character in the story and is the one who transforms the most, changing from a quiet, obedient boy hoping for a different life to a resourceful leader who resourcefully takes he and his friends to a new land. James’ goodness and manners shine as he encounters strange human-sized insects, approaching them with an open mind and kindness, “James decided that he rather liked the Centipede” (Dahl, 1989, p. 31). Dahl’s writing has a distinctly dignified style to it that fits the setting and James’ manner. He also captures the essence of each insect in the way he writes about them. The respectable grasshopper is logical and a little proud, “‘Young fellow,’ he said in a deep, slow, scornful voice, ‘I have never been a pest in my life. I am a musician’” (Dahl, 1989, p. 29-30). The Centipede, on the other hand is cheeky, mischievous, wears twenty-one pairs of boots (see picture below), and makes up wonderful rhyming songs.

This is a chapter book, but it does contain occasional pictures throughout that help illustrate specific moments in the book. Nancy Ekholm Burkert's illustrations are done in pencil or ink and are colorless in this edition, relying greatly on line to create texture, shape and tone. The illustrations are often dark, both in style and mood, and they give the reader’s imagination a taste of the world of the book.

ACTIVITIES: 

1. Have students create a poster showing all the things James learned about and from his travel
companions. Encourage students to illustrate and decorate their posters and use text from the book to highlight ways James' assumptions about the insects changed once he got to know them.
2. Select several scenes from the book that contain lots of dialogue. Working in groups, have students stage a dramatic reading or skit of a scene. Afterwards have the class discuss the behavior of the characters. How did they contribute in unique ways to a task at hand? In the case of scenes with James' Aunts, how did their behavior deviate from their role as caretaker?

These activities align with Saint Leo's Core Value of Respect because they encourage children to contemplate characters who are open to learning about and accepting those who are different than they are. This is a key part of embracing diversity and respecting others and exploring texts that teach these lessons will help instill this value in children. The second activity also asks students to examine characters who do not embody this value.

READER RESPONSE QUESTIONS:
1. Why is this book considered a fantasy? Describe three examples from the text that tell you its is a fantasy?
2. Why do the other insects get annoyed with the Centipede so often?
3. What do you think of the ending of the book? What does it tell you about the book's theme?

I first read this book as a child and remember being captivated by the world of James and his friends. Reading it again as an adult, I find as much enjoyment in it as I did the first time I picked it up. With just enough narrow misses and comic relief provided by the Centipede, the book flies by. Look for Roald Dahl’s other imaginative works of fiction including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The BFG.

Resources

Dahl, R. (1989). James and the giant peach. New York: Puffin Books.

Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworths, Inc

Cover image from http://www.thereadventurer.com/-home/book-vs-movie-james-and-the-giant-peach-by-roald-dahl

Centipede and James image from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/421790321341029683/