The Twelve Days of Christmas

Description

The Twelve Days of Christmas”
Summary
Roald Dahl’s “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is a comical and creative rewording of the famous Christmas carol. The story combines Dahl’s signature wit and imagination, accompanied by Quentin Blake’s iconic illustrations.
Story Summary
Day by day, through the twelve days of Christmas, she gets from her dear love for gifts progressively more ridiculous and fantastic. Each day dawns with its new, more outrageous present–from “a partridge in a pear tree” to “twelve drummers drumming.”
Dahl’s Twist
Roald Dahl’s version has his own flavor in it but takes the matter to a humorous end. The gifts are wonderfully and increasingly whimsical, such as the “Five Golden Rings,” really five mad old gents on golden rings, and the “Seven Swans a-Swimming,” really seven swans in swimsuits swimming in the pool.
Themes
The incongruity and humor of the holiday season
The pleasure of giving and receiving gifts
Imagination and Creativity
Audience
The book is for children in the age range of 4-8, but the humor and wit in it will surely attract all who read it.