Soon to be a major motion picture by Steven Speilberg, The BFG, by Roald Dahl is a great read to share over the summer with your children. Recommended for grades 3-5, you can read the book aloud together or read separately and then come together for discussion. Our book club allows readers to engage with their children over the summer in a meaningful learning experience and also offer a designated bonding time, that is all to often hard to find. Read at your own pace. The discussion question and activities are listed below by chapters. Feel free to message us about your experience.
The BFG (The Big Friendly Giant) by Roald Dahl is available at your local library as well as in stores or online.
Summary of the BFG: The BFG is no ordinary bone-crunching giant. He is far too nice and jumbly. It’s lucky for Sophie that he is. Had she been carried off in the middle of the night by the Bloodbottler, or any of the other giants—rather than the BFG—she would have soon become breakfast. When Sophie hears that the giants are flush-bunking off to England to swollomp a few nice little chiddlers, she decides she must stop them once and for all. And the BFG is going to help her!
Chapters 1-3 This selection deals with first impressions. Sophie experiences many new characters in these chapters. Discuss your own impressions of The BFG. Talk about how his physical appearance at first shaped how one would feel about him. Then discuss his personality traits and how perhaps that changes how Sophie feels about him. Talk about the other giants. Describe them and talk about how they also behave. But what about Mrs Clonkers? How do you think she looks? Does she look scary on the outside? But what about her personality? Talk as a family about how judging a book by it’s cover can hurt others and hurt you as well.
Chapters 5-8 These chapters deal with unlikely friendships as well as creating silly vocabulary. Roald Dahl likes to invent words in his books. For example Snozzcumbers takes the word cucumbers and makes it into something silly. As a family create a few new words that only you know. Use it throughout the summer. Perhaps you have a favorite recipe that you often make. You could rename it. Then make the meal as a family. You could change the name of a room in your house etc. I guarantee your kiddos will get a big kick out of this. Any chance they have to be in on a joke with you, they eat it up.
Discuss with the children that the BFG felt different because of the way he spoke, and that made him feel sad. However, when Sophie praised the BFG’s way of speaking, he felt really good about himself. Then discuss ways you can celebrate differences with friends or people we meet.
Chapters 9-11 Deals with bullying. This is a critical topic to discuss with your kiddos. Talk to your kids about how to deal with bullies. Ask them why they think people bully. Make a family plan for what you would do if someone or your child is being bullied.
Chapters 12-17 The Topic is Dreams. Talk about what dreams are discussed in the book. Why does the
BFG want these dreams? Talk about a mixed dream. Ask your kiddos to come up with a short plot to their own mix dreams. Make your own dream jar as a family. Talk about personal dreams/goals and put them in a jar all together. Talk about how you can all help each other obtain your dreams by working together as a family.
Chapters 18-21 New People/New Places. Imagine you are new to a place you have never been before. How might you feel? What things would you want to do? What things would scare you? Now imagine someone very different comes to visit you. They have never been here and they speak a little differently. How could you make them feel more comfortable? What would you want to show them?
Chapters 22- 25 Discuss the ending of the book. Did you like it? What were your favorite parts of the story? What was your overall favorite part of reading together? What did you learn about each other? Keep using your made up words and go watch The BFG in theaters.
