Roald Dahl Day at Clare County Library

13th September is officially Roald Dahl Day across the world. It's a fantastic opportunity to visit your local library in Clare to discover, or re-discover, his amazing stories. This year September 13th falls on a Sunday so why not drop in to the library on Friday 11th or Saturday 12th and prepare for the day by borrowing and reading a Roald Dahl book. To celebrate, activity and quiz sheets will be distributed in all branches of Clare County Library – pick one up and test your knowledge on the well-loved characters created by Roald Dahl. Who isn’t familiar with his book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Linking in with that makes a perfect excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch and supper - it is Roald Dahl Day after all. If you’re lucky, you may even find some chocolate hidden amongst the shelves of your local library on Friday September 11th.

For those unlucky people who have never heard of Roald Dahl here are some facts - he was born on 13 September 1916 and died in 1990. He was a novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter, born in Wales of Norwegian parents. He served in the Royal Air Force during World War 2 and then rose to prominence in the 1940s with works for both children and adults, and became one of the world's bestselling authors. His short stories are known for their unexpected endings, and his children's books for their unsentimental, often very dark humour. Some of his most popular books include The Twits, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Matilda, The Witches, and The BFG. During his years at school, a nearby chocolate company would occasionally send boxes of new chocolates to the school to be tested by the pupils. Dahl himself apparently used to dream of inventing a new chocolate bar and this proved the inspiration for him to write his third book for children, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, released in 1963.

Fittingly, a special “Invent a Chocolate Bar Competition” will run in all Clare libraries, very generously sponsored by Tuamgraney-based Wilde Irish Chocolates. This award-winning chocolate factory opened in 1997 and words like scrumptious and luscious are commonly used to describe just how delicious their chocolates are. To enter the competition, all you have to do is invent a chocolate bar for Willy Wonka and you’re in with a chance to win lots of Wilde Irish Chocolate goodies. Wilde Irish Chocolates will also create a limited edition chocolate bar inspired by the winning entry. The closing date is 11th September 2009. Pick up an entry form from your local branch of Clare County Library or online at www.clarelibrary.ie

You could also have a go at the Roald Dahl Day Challenge – and keep your eyes peeled for other Roald Dahl fans marking the Big Day! For those aged under 10, the target is to complete as many challenges as your age. If you’re 10 or older, try to complete all ten!! All you need to do is -
• Wear something yellow – it was Roald's favourite colour!
• Wear one or more items of clothing backwards.
• Drop "gobblefunk" into your conversations
(the unique language created by Roald and most commonly used by
the BFG).
• Swap a Roald Dahl book with a friend.
• Talk backwards.
• Tell a silly joke – Roald loved swapping these with his kids.
• Play an "unexpected" prank.
• Give someone a treat – Roald was a great believer in treats, whether it was a bar of chocolate or a lovely surprise.
• Write your own revolting rhyme.
• Make up an Oompa Loompa dance and get all your friends to join in!

And don’t forget - find out more about Roald Dahl and borrow his books at your local Clare library. See you there!