Overview and Outcomes:

This is a three-week Writing Root for The Minpins by Roald Dahl in which children begin by engaging in the themes of the story by talking about danger and what they are allowed and not allowed to do, imagining gruesome consequences if they don’t follow instructions! They then go on to read and explore The Minpins and create character descriptions (for their own monsters and The Minpins themselves), retellings of key events, reports about The Minpins and eventually writing a new chapter.

Synopsis of Text:

Little Billy's mum says he must never go out through the garden gate and explore the dark forest beyond.

So, one day, that's exactly what he does.

There he meets the Minpins: miniature people who live int he hollow trees.

They soon warn Little Billy of the fearsome, galloping Gruncher, who has grunched thousands of Minpins. And it will gobble up Little Billy too - uness he can find a way to defeat the hungry beast, once and for all...

Text Rationale:

This was the last work of literature published by Roald Dahl and was published posthumously a year after his death. This novella is a fantastic introduction to the iconic author and is a great way to talk to children about overcoming their fears and helping others as well as exposing them to the language of a master storyteller at work.

Links and themes:

Forests, monsters, adventures, overcoming fears, helping others

Date written: January 2016