The Roald Dahl Audio Collection: Includes Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Enormous Crocodile & The Magic Finger

We are big fans of Roald Dahl here.
For anyone who doesn't know, Roald Dahl wrote in a time when children's stories were much darker and usually had a moral to them. Just be aware of that if you are not familiar with Dahl's work. Personally, it doesn't bother myself or my kids.
This set contains Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (on one disc), James and the Giant Peach (one disc), Fantastic Mr Fox (one disc) and on the last disc, The Enormous Crocodile and The Magic Finger.
The stories are read by Roald himself, which I thought was an added bonus. His voice is clear and easy to understand.
This is definitely worth the purchase and I will probably buy it again when ours wears out because it is listened to so often.

These are abridged versions of the books

There are precious few audio documents of Roald Dahl's own readings, be it his adult or children's stories. However the American Caedmon label recorded 4 audiobook records of Dahl reading his own children's stories. They recorded abridged versions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach, and unabridged versions of Fantastic Mr Fox, The Enormous Crocodile and The Magic Finger. In addition a British company recorded Dahl's own reading of The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me. For a time Harper Audio (the successor to Caedmon) released the four Dahl Caedmon LPs in one package. However it is good to have them back again in this Penguin audiobook reissue.

Some people might feel upset that Dahl is not dramatic in any way, and some may complain that these recordings of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach are abridged so that each book takes up one LP. However they are excellent recordings and they still manage to sparkle with Dahl's trademark writing and storytelling style.

The recording of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory gives us an excellent reading of the book even in an abridged form. In this recording, Dahl might sound tentative at first because this was the first time he was recording his work. This abridged version covers the salient episodes of the book and paces itself very well. In a way this is good. I have tended to feel uneasy that the original book had a bit of padding, and this abridgement, though brief, is very welcome and paces itself better. Some might not be too keen on Dahl's brisk pace, as the producers were obliged to fit this recording onto one LP. However Dahl is still able to adjust his voice and tone for the various situations and emotions.

Dahl is perhaps more seasoned in the readings of Fantastic Mr Fox, The Enormous Crocodile and The Magic Finger. These books are presented unabridged, so there is less cramming and compression. Dahl's pace in these stories is relaxed, and Dahl captures the right moods for each characters. Dahl perfectly catches the slyness of the Enormous Crocodile himself and is superb when he tells of the strange happenings of the Greggs after the girl punishes them with the magic finger. And in this recorded reading of Fantastic Mr Fox Dahl succeeds in making the three nasty farmers sound horrid and mean, and hell-bent on catching Mr Fox and all the woodland animals.

The least successful reading is James and the Giant Peach. When I say "least successful" I mean that the abridgement leaves out too many important episodes. It is too heavy on the first part of the book in the house of Sponge and Spiker, and it cuts out the middle part of the journey across the Atlantic. We don't hear about the danger with the Cloud Men or James rescuing the Centipede from the ocean. So even though Dahl reads well, it's easy to feel disappointed with the quality of the abridgement.

In spite of its flaws, this is still a superb collection of Dahl's own readings and one of the few available audio documents of him reading his children's books. It is fit to stand alongside existing audiobook recordings, including the new unabridged versions that Penguin Audio has been releasing over these few months.

For non-Americans who are purchasing this set, it's worth noting that these recordings use the American editions of the stories rather than the British edition. So in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory American currency is used in place of British currency and candy bar is used in place of chocolate bar.

I loved Roald Dahl books when I was a kid and wanted to start introducing my own kids to them. We spend a lot of time in the car, so this was a great way to do it. I jumped at the chance to buy this set because, not only does it include 5 stories which is a great bargain, but it was read by the author himself! Since I had never heard his voice before, I thought this would be really interesting and make the set more special in a way. I was not disappointed! I love hearing these stories in Dahl's own voice. My children do too. They are 7, 5, and 3 years old. We have listened to the CDs over and over again. I think Dahl does an excellent job with his readings. I don't find it confusing which story is on which CD although they are not labeled. 1--Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2--James and the Giant Peach, 3--Fantastic Mr. Fox, 4--The Enormous Crocodile and The Magic Finger. I believe there is about 5 hours of recording between all the CDs. I only wish the entire stories of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach were included instead of the abridged versions. I just can't get enough! Highly recommended!

I bought these because my brother and I listened to them at night as we fell asleep when we were kids and I wanted our daughters (6 & 8) to experience using their imaginations as they sized off. To my delight the James and the Giant Peach is the same exact one we listened to as kids same narrator and everything I felt like I was 5 years old again (I'm 38). These are a great alternative to watching TV turn them on while your kid plays and watch as they stop playing and listen to the stories as they imagine each character in their mind!

Got these to practice our listening skills during the summer months in the car. At first thought I'd had too high an expectation, but then the kids (ages 6 to 3) started asking for them by various names...and they promote moral discussions (during which I power off the whole system so all can hear what's said). :) The readers voice is a soothing English accented fellow whose diction is lovely and understandable even when the words are 'odd' to little ones American ears.

I love Roal Dahl...was so excited that he was narrating so bought without hesitation for a road trip to FL. My daughter is 3. He spoke too fast, and she lost interest almost immediately. She'll listen to chapters at a time when I'm reading at a normal pace.
Kind of a bummer. May work when she's older, we'all have to see.

I wish there were more stories here, but it does include some of the most popular stores. It would be nice if the CDs were actually labeled to show which stories are on which CD.

I should have read the reviews and description better. Two of the main stories that I wanted my daughter to listen too are the abridged versions and the Charlie story is an Americanized version. Not realizing they were abridged is my fault - I shouldn't have used my mobile device to find this (whole descriptions do not show in mobile format). Not using the original version for one of the most important stories is the manufacture's fault - this should be disclosed in the description. This was not okay with me. I will be eating the cost of a return it seems and finding a new audio book.

I LOVE this story teller. The grandkids enjoy each of the stories told, but as an adult who loves children's books, I fully appreciate the talent of Roald Dahl. His ability to infuse personality into the various characters and "retort" (as only Roald Dahl can retort) add both life and humor to his stories. As the imagination comes alive and the listener is swept away with the story, one forgets for just a moment that one is only seeing with the mind and not the eyes. Gifted is the word for Mr. Dahl.