Chances are you have seen a movie or read a book by Roald Dahl before.  He is a famous British writer who has influenced the childhoods of children around the world.

Roald Dahl lived from 1916 to 1990 and in that time wrote 25 books. He wasn’t just a writer though, during his life he worked as a fighter pilot, and wrote literature including poems and screenplays.  Roald Dahl was born in Wales, in the United Kingdom, and served in the Royal Air Force in World War II. He didn’t start writing children’s books until he had children of his own. But once he started writing he wrote some amazing stories, many of which you have likely heard of as some have even been made into movies. Perhaps his most famous book is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but he also wrote classics like James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Matilda, The Witches, and many more.

You can see the movie trailer to the movie Matilda below. This movie is based of Roald Dahl’s book. Just from this short clip you can see how fun the books that he wrote are for children (and adults) to read. Matilda is a book about an extraordinary little girl with unpleasant parents and her discovery of her hidden talents and magic.

Also you can listen to a news article here about Roald Dahl and his book Matilda at this link. This is a great listening comprehension exercise for you now that you have some basic information about this writer and this book.

Speaking of books, if you are looking for another good read, check out Transparent Language’s free e-book Top 10 Tips for Language Learning.