Can you guess where the title of my blog
post comes from? I'll give you a hint; it’s from a book.
On a completely
separate topic, we visited the Roald Dahl museum in Great Missenden today. It
was a fun experience for multiple reasons, a primary one of which included my
desire to be a kid again. Although the museum wasn’t very large, it provided
ample space for visitors to move around and enjoy the exhibits. I’ll get to
that in a bit, but first I wanted to mention how funny it was to see the kids
running around the courtyard playing hide-and-go-seek, and even funnier to see
the scrambling parents trying to calm down the wild children. I swear the
Discovery Channel could have filmed a pretty good show on how parents manage
their children in the wild.
Although I will be entering the academic
library profession with a different focus, it was very good to see and immerse
myself in storytelling and children’s literature. Along with wanting to be a
well-rounded professional, I grew up reading the likes of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Before I came to the museum did not know
anything about Roald Dahl as a person or author. I just new he made some really
unique, witty, and funny children’s books. It turns out he had a pretty
adventurous life (I won’t get into the details, and instead let you buy a
ticket to England and visit the museum yourself). The museum's three exhibits
provided some engaging, informative, and fun areas that I think Dahl would have
approved of. Along with his personal life, it was interesting to see all of the
original mementos from his life. The collection is eclectic, and includes
things such as his “idea journals,” letters to his mother, and his
complete study hut.
From a personal perspective, I really
appreciate the emphasis they play on creation and authorship. The museum does a
really effective job of combining educational and historical information on
Dahl as a person and author, as well as providing a stimulating environment for
children to play and learn. I really think that contemporary learning methods
constrain originality and creativity, so seeing a proactive approach to letting
children express themselves always gets my thumbs up approval.
Chocolate doors! Chocolate wrappers!
I also really love chocolate, and
apparently Dahl did too. I’m sure we would have been best friends if I knew the
guy. Oh, and I found out I'm taller than an Oompa Loompa. Yay!
Officially taller than an Oompa Loompa
P.S. For those coming from Facebook: the picture on the left is Dahl's study, while the one on the right is Mr. Fox's (very) small office. Oddly familiar huh?
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