Esio Trot

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We both read the book in our own homes, then as soon as we finished it, Daisy rung me to discuss the book. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. In 2015 it was adapted by Richard Curtis into a BBC television film, Roald Dahl's Esio Trot, featuring Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench as the couple, with James Corden narrating. But even so, I was fairly confident I could do better than Dahl's original "trick her into marrying you" storyline. It’s such a fun quick read, the illustrations of Mr Poppy trying to juggle all the tortoise are such fun!

But recently, my love dimmed a bit when I read James and the Giant Peach, a book that was a serious boatload of meh. Mrs Silver runs inside and weighs her pet, and is surprised to find that Alfie now weighs 27 ounces (770 g), more than double the weight he was before. Suffice to say the next night when my boy asked to read the rest of the story, I deviated from the original script.But it's going to take one hundred and forty tortoises, an ancient spell, and a little bit of magic.

It is a well-written and enjoyable, fun read that children will be able to read easily at a fast pace as it is a short book and one that they will enjoy the humour of.A bit shy and quiet, tending to his flowers is Mr Hoppy who is totally in love with his neighbor Mrs Silver. His first children's book was The Gremlins, about mischievous little creatures that were part of RAF folklore. The story is about a lonely old man who over the course of weeks keeps stealing his neighbour’s beloved pet and replacing it with others with the ultimate aim of winning her heart and tricking her into marrying him. Its title was inspired by a highly inaccurate and sensationalized article about the crash that blinded him, which claimed he had been shot down instead of simply having to land because of low fuel. He then spends the rest of the week inventing recipes for tortoises and testing them on his new pets, figuring out which ones are the most delicious to tortoises.

His part works splendidly, and Mr Hoppy, suddenly emboldened by Mrs Silver's warm smile, asks Mrs Silver for her hand in marriage. However, the tortoise cannot fit in the house now, so Mr Hoppy tells Mrs Silver to say the magic spell in reverse ( Tortoise, tortoise, get bigger bigger, etc.Dahl went on to create some of the best-loved children's stories of the 20th century, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and James and the Giant Peach. Unlike other Dahl works (which often feature tyrannical adults and heroic/magical children), Esio Trot is the story of an ageing, lonely man (Mr Hoppy), trying to make a connection with a person that he has loved from afar (his widowed neighbour, Mrs Silver). Mrs Silver delightedly accepts Mr Hoppy's proposal, then adds that she thought he would never get around to asking.

To accompany the engaging text are some excellent drawings, it has been very well illustrated by the wonderful Quentin Blake.

It was adapted by Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, and filming took place in May 2014 in London. The story feels a little deceitful and it's also simply fun and I find myself enjoying the silly antics of Mr.