AD Hartley

The new cover of Roald Dahl's classic kid's book, Charlie and Chocolate Factory, recently caused an awful lot of controversy  and you can see why. Many thought it creepy and some even found it overtly sexual in a rather  inappropriate way for a kids book. I can see why they would think this. If you try to read too much into the image you could certainly find it a little sinister. My own view is that it's simply not a very good cover, not representative of the author, the characters or the story. Penguin admitted as much themselves, saying "the cover image was not intended to represent either of female children featured in the story", which makes the choice of picture baffling. Choosing a cover that has nothing at all to do with the story, especially for a kids book, is a little strange, but it's even more so when you think that someone must have sat down and thought "This is the one for us! This is the entirely unrelated image that we want to use!...

My two young nephews are just at the age of discovering reading for themselves .   As much as it's a pleasure to have an adult read to you as a child, the joy of discovering stories for yourself is a huge step and it's fascinating to watch the boys pick up a book and slowly lose themselves in the story, wide eyed and full of determined concentration. This is still new to them after all, so every word is important and must be afforded all due consideration. There are many activities we throw ourselves into as children that we naturally lose interest in, forget or that become unacceptable as we reach adulthood. Playing with toys, watching cartoons, climbing trees or running around waving our hands in the air and screaming at full volume are rarely listed as pastimes on the average Curriculum Vitae. (Pity... I'd hire that person). But reading is one activity that stays with us through the years. From 3 years to 103 years. From The Very Hun...