Moving from the toddler board books that are loaded with pictures was a big deal for us. Our very first “real” book was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We chose this book because of our friend Rachel at Grasping for Objectivity’s recommendation. (See her list of over 200 great books here.)
Charlie was a perfect transition book for the kids. Though there were only a few pictures, the imagery and creativity were right on target for my kids, ages 4 and 6. The book moved at a great pace that kept them excited and engaged. It was a joy for me to hear, “Read 1 more chapter, pleeeease!!” That is how I want my kids to feel about reading, and Charlie delivered the passion for a story.
After different parts of the book we had some great discussions:
Why was Veruca Salt so spoiled? What is spoiled? Was it her fault? Her parents?
Who deserved a golden ticket?
Why did Charlie’s dad step aside so that Grandpa Joe could go?
What is greed? Was Augustus Gloop greedy?
What does it mean to be grateful? Which child was grateful?
BirminghamMommy’s Bedtime Book Club gives Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 2 sticky thumbs up!
Bedtime Book Club is an original BirminghamMommy.com series that focuses on great books for the tiny humans.
That’s awesome! I’m so glad y’all enjoyed it. It does have a lot of great themes to discuss. Although I would say that the recurring use of “fat” was a bit unnerving – that’s a concept we’re kinda trying to avoid around here. What did you think about that?