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Revolting Rhymes

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Roald Dahl's irreverent and hilarious collection, Revolting Rhymes.

This book is filled with revolting rhymes.
(Be warned: It's no ordinary Once upon a time).

There's poor Cindy whose heart was torn to shreds, because her Prince, he chops off heads!

Snow White's dwarfs although awfully nice, are guilty of one shocking vice . . .

And what becomes of Goldilocks, that nasty thieving little louse, when she goes sneaking around the three bear's house . . .

Listen to REVOLTING RHYMES and other Roald Dahl audiobooks read by some very famous voices, including Kate Winslet, David Walliams and Steven Fry - plus there are added squelchy soundeffects from Pinewood Studios!

Look out for new Roald Dahl apps in the App store and Google Play- including the disgusting TWIT OR MISS! inspired by the revolting Twits.

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Roald Dahl

1,433 books25.4k followers
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer and screenwriter of Norwegian descent, who rose to prominence in the 1940's with works for both children and adults, and became one of the world's bestselling authors.

Dahl's first published work, inspired by a meeting with C. S. Forester, was Shot Down Over Libya. Today the story is published as A Piece of Cake. The story, about his wartime adventures, was bought by the Saturday Evening Post for $900, and propelled him into a career as a writer. Its title was inspired by a highly inaccurate and sensationalized article about the crash that blinded him, which claimed he had been shot down instead of simply having to land because of low fuel.

His first children's book was The Gremlins, about mischievous little creatures that were part of RAF folklore. The book was commissioned by Walt Disney for a film that was never made, and published in 1943. Dahl went on to create some of the best-loved children's stories of the 20th century, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and James and the Giant Peach.

He also had a successful parallel career as the writer of macabre adult short stories, usually with a dark sense of humour and a surprise ending. Many were originally written for American magazines such as Ladies Home Journal, Harper's, Playboy and The New Yorker, then subsequently collected by Dahl into anthologies, gaining world-wide acclaim. Dahl wrote more than 60 short stories and they have appeared in numerous collections, some only being published in book form after his death. His stories also brought him three Edgar Awards: in 1954, for the collection Someone Like You; in 1959, for the story "The Landlady"; and in 1980, for the episode of Tales of the Unexpected based on "Skin".

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5 stars
9,277 (43%)
4 stars
7,080 (33%)
3 stars
3,790 (17%)
2 stars
778 (3%)
1 star
274 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,258 reviews
Profile Image for Elise.
10 reviews9 followers
June 22, 2012
I'm not going to review this, I'm simply going to point out to many of the previous reviewers that the word "slut" is defined as "a dirty, untidy, or slovenly woman". It is only in the past 20 years, or so, that the word has commonly become associated with sexual morality (or the lack thereof). Especially given Roald Dahl's age when he wrote this in the 1980s, I'm pretty certain that he did not mean it to have any sexual connotation, especially since cinderella is, by definition, someone who looks dirty and untidy all the time!

Besides that, anyone who doesn't want to "expose" their young child to the corrupting influence of this book because of that one word, taken out of context, is extremely unrealistic about what sort of language they hear/use when they are in the school yard!

Let your children read it, I guarantee they'll thank you for it!
Profile Image for Mariah Roze.
1,056 reviews1,060 followers
April 13, 2017
I really enjoyed this book full of short stories! All the short stories were remakes of fairy tales. They were all gruesome and some of them even intertwined.

I highly suggest this book for anyone that likes fairy tales and/or anyone that likes Roald Dahl. I really feel this was one of his best works, even though it is really short.
Profile Image for Montzalee Wittmann.
4,892 reviews2,298 followers
June 15, 2017
Revolting Rhymes (Paperback) by Roald Dahl is a book I read to my kids and then to my grandkids. This book has given everyone giggles in our house from the very young to the very old. It is the kind of book that never grows old itself. It is a keeper. I still have it from many years ago. I can not count how many times this poor book has been read! It was worth every penny.
Profile Image for Manny.
Author 38 books15.3k followers
November 21, 2008
The best poems in this collection are true masterpieces of satire. Here's the start of Cinderella:

"I guess you think you know this story.
You don't. The real one's much more gory.
The phoney one, the one you know,
Was cooked up years and years ago,
And made to sound all soft and sappy
just to keep the children happy.
Mind you, they got the first bit right,
The bit where, in the dead of night,
The Ugly Sisters, jewels and all,
Departed for the Palace Ball,
While darling little Cinderella
Was locked up in a slimy cellar,
Where rats who wanted things to eat,
Began to nibble at her feet."
Profile Image for Quirkyreader.
1,630 reviews
June 14, 2018
This was another major laugh riot from Dahl. I kept cracking up when I was reading this at work.
Profile Image for Dash fan .
1,497 reviews723 followers
March 15, 2018
Another of my favourite Dahl books
Fairy tales with a gruesome twist. Like poetry that flies off the page.
Spent many a day reading this book with delight and laughter.
Have introduced it to my cousin who is now old enough to appreciate the exciting tales as the Characters jump off the page.
Highly recommend if your wanting something a lil quirky and different to read. That will have you giggling at the crazy tales.
Enjoy!
Profile Image for Paula Mota.
1,308 reviews446 followers
July 10, 2020
”Até que as irmãs vieram correndo,
Estendendo a primeira um pé horrendo.
“Serve-me, é meu”, gritou a megera,
“Vou casar contigo na primavera.”
“Isso é que não vais!”, o jovem gritou
E com o susto quase desmaiou.
Mas ela guinchava, ela insistia,
De ser princesa não desistia.
“Ordeno que lhe cortem a cabeça!”
Rugiu, cheio de raiva, Sua Alteza.
E vendo a rapariga degolada,
Exclamou: “Fica assim mais engraçada!”

Numa eficaz tradução de Luísa Ducla Soares e com as habituais ilustrações de Quentin Blake, Roald Dahl subverte alguns dos mais amados contos infantis com o seu famoso humor negro. Para meninos perversos e meninas perversas, mesmo que já não sejam tão pequeninos (as) quanto isso e que não se incomodem com finais brutos e desvios abruptos.

“Pois, como ia dizendo, Tranças de Ouro
Sem vergonha, sem o menor decoro
Nela sentou o traseiro gorducho
E como a cadeira era de luxo
Num instante ficou em pedaços,
Voaram pelo ar os estilhaços.
Se a menina não fosse atrevida
Decerto que ficava arrependida.
Mas esta pôs-se em pé num repelão
E disse um horrível palavrão
Que bons meninos não podem saber
E por isso não vou aqui escrever.”
Profile Image for Ken.
2,404 reviews1,366 followers
May 5, 2021
Dahl's modernise (and darker!) take on some of the most beloved fairytales is still just as fun and twisted all these years later.

I also watched the 2 part animation which is just as great.

My favourite of the six tales was Snow White now living with 7 jockeys - though all were brilliantly altered to Dahl's quirky timeless imagination.
Profile Image for Manybooks.
3,490 reviews104 followers
December 28, 2020
Although I am not usually a huge fan of so-called fractured “traditional” folk and fairy tales (as I do rather often tend to think that the respective authors of these types of stories would generally and basically do better and be much more imaginative creating their own and totally, completely original pieces of work rather than taking known for centuries tales and using them as the background, as the foundation), I do have to admit that Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes (and albeit that I do kind of wish the book title showed that Dahl’s presented rhyming texts are in fact based on traditional folk and diary tales) has certainly been delightfully readable, naughtily engaging and often also really laugh-out-loud funny, keeping close enough to the spirit of the original stories content wise but then textually twisting them just enough for blatant and hilarious satire and all with a featured rhyming scheme that always feels deliciously rollicking and never once awkwardly halting.

And indeed, Revolting Rhymes has most definitely left me with a wide and appreciated smile for Roald Dahl’s penmanship and satirical talents, with my favourite “revolting” renderings of the presented classical folk and fairy tales being his Cinderella and his Goldilocks and the Three Bears (with me in particular enjoying and appreciating that Dahl’s Cinderella has much more spunk and spirit than either Charles Perrault’s or the Brothers Grimm’s Cinderella, and that yes, Goldilocks is not once depicted by Roald Dahl as a sweet little girl but as a nasty piece of work who willfully breaks into the three bears’ home and basically engages in targeted vandalism).

Highly recommended and much fun is Revolting Rhymes and in my opinion a delightful way of introducing children to satire and how enjoyable satire can be.
Profile Image for Matt.
4,262 reviews13k followers
June 11, 2017
A short compendium of fifteen tales told by one of the great children's storytellers of all time. Dahl uses his wonderful rhyming ability to re-tell some of the better known fairy tales to 'set the record straight'. Children can marvel at all the things they will learn from Dahl and his mind that spills full of wonderful ideas. From there, Dahl takes the reader on to recount a few lesser known members of the animal kingdom, all of whom have special abilities. Sure to entertain and impress, Dahl has done it again with his wonderful wit and (somewhat) saucy language, which I still think straddles what would be appropriate for the age level to which this piece is geared.

Kudos, Mr. Dahl for dazzling and impressing. I am pleased to have added this to my buddy reads and hope others will find it enjoyable too.

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Profile Image for Bettie.
9,990 reviews2 followers
February 3, 2017
Description: Do you think Cinderella married the prince and lived happily ever after, and that the three little pigs outsmarted the wolf? Think again! Premier storyteller Roald Dahl twists the fate of six favorite fairy tales, in this picture book edition with vibrant new cover art by Quentin Blake. Fairy tales have never been more revolting!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/...
Profile Image for Sophie Crane.
4,776 reviews169 followers
February 17, 2023
I think Revolting Rhymes is a very good book and if you like this book you would like lots of Roald Dahl's other stories.
Revolting Rhymes is a story about little stories with rhymes that are horrible. There is Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk but there stories are much more gruesome!. This book has lots of rhyming and a lot of fun!
Profile Image for Miriam .
149 reviews18 followers
June 4, 2020
4.5 en realidad.
Este libro ha sido mi primer acercamiento con Roald Dahl y me encantó (aunque me parece un tanto espeluznante para niños pequeños, aunque muchos cuentos clásicos también lo son🤔). Me gustó mucho su forma de narrar algunos cuentos clásicos (LA CENICIENTA, JUAN Y LA HABICHUELA MÁGICA, BLANCANIEVES Y LOS SIETE ENANOS, RIZOS DE ORO Y LOS TRES OSOS, CAPERUCITA ROJA Y EL LOBO y LOS TRES CERDITOS) en verso y dándoles sus propios giros.
No le di las 5 ⭐ porque hubo 2 cuentos que no me gustaron tanto como los demás: BLANCANIEVES Y LOS SIETE ENANOS y RIZOS DE ORO Y LOS TRES OSOS.

"Si tienes buenos pensamientos, resplandecerán en tu cara como rayos de sol y siempre tendrás algún atractivo."
Roald Dahl.
145 reviews32 followers
January 19, 2023
بامزه بود😁
و ترجمه خوبی داشت
Profile Image for Tony Vacation.
423 reviews316 followers
August 22, 2014
Not nearly as revolting as I would have liked, but still nice rhyming takedowns of some popular fairy tales. The best bit is the femme fatale take on Little Red Riding Hood. Never mess with a girl who knows how to handle herself around wolves.
Profile Image for Sara.
1,345 reviews405 followers
November 24, 2021
I mean, I wasn't expecting to see the word 'slut' in a children's book today, but there we go. This is....of its time, definitely. Would I recommend? Erm, no. However I can't deny that I laughed a few times, and the rhymes are quite witty.
Profile Image for Lily.
746 reviews62 followers
April 25, 2021
Roald Dahl suele ser uno de los escritores de la infancia de muchos niños, yo incluida. Aunque puede que para muchos sea más conocido por todas las adaptaciones cinematográficas de sus cuentos para niños, como Charlie y la fábrica de chocolate o James y el melocotón gigante. En Cuentos en verso para niños perversos nos encontramos con algunos de los cuentos más conocidos de nuestra niñez, como puedan ser Blancanieves o Cenicienta, pero al estilo Roald Dahl. Me hubiera encantado encontrarme con más historietas cambiadas y en verso, porque de verdad, son geniales, divertidísimas y un poco más grotescas que las que nosotros hemos oído, como bien dice Roald Dahl, cambiadas y retocadas a lo largo de los años. Tenemos una Caperucita que tiende a asesinar lobos con un revolver, una Blancanieves que vive con exjockeys, etc.
Si queréis pasar un rato entretenido, coged estos cuentitos de Roald Dahl, que seguro que es sacan una sonrisa, y más de una carcajada.
Profile Image for Ana | The Phoenix Flight.
240 reviews172 followers
March 1, 2019
Roald Dahl é ácido, é por isso que gosto das histórias dele, especialmente Charlie e a Fábrica de Chocolate. A forma como faz críticas à sociedade, mete o dedo mesmo na ferida, naquelas coisas que já nem reparamos por cairem na normalidade.

Histórias em Verso para Meninos Perversos está embebido nessa característica da escrita do autor. Pegando em algumas histórias tradicionais, Roald Dahl dá-lhes uma roupagem um bocadinho mais contemporânea (sim, mesmo tendo já algumas décadas, as "perversões" descritas conseguem ser actuais), onde algumas personagens acabam por ter...bem...o que merecem, mas não como esperamos.

Vale a pena ler se gostarem da escrita do autor, ou se estiverem curiosos em ficar a conhecer ;)
Profile Image for Ronyell.
988 reviews331 followers
January 3, 2010
"Revolting Rhymes" is truly a revolting series of famous fairy tales that have horror twist to each one. My most favorite story out this book is "Jack and the Beanstalk" where Jack has to deal with his insensitive mother while getting some golden leaves from the giant's beanstalk.

Quentin Blake's illustrations are both funny and scary at the same time and Roald Dahl's rhyming for this book is fantastic. For anyone who love revolting tales from Roald Dahl, "Revolting Rhymes" is definitely the book for you!
Profile Image for Josh Girard.
13 reviews2 followers
December 2, 2016
This book was alright. The twist's of the stories where kinda funny. It was short and average so I picked it up and kinda liked it.
Profile Image for Miranda Reads.
1,589 reviews163k followers
December 10, 2020
Dahl manages to revive old, worn fairy tales into quirky, fun adventures. Each story surprised me with the ending - often darker than the stories that we are used to (Disney!).

I loved the little twists that he gives to other little fairy tales.
Ah, Piglet, you must never trust
Young ladies from the upper crust.


Audiobook Comments
Read by Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan and Miriam Margolyes - they really knocked this audiobook out of the park!

YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
Profile Image for Rosh.
1,993 reviews3,514 followers
January 18, 2021
Revolting rhymes has Roald Dahl taking 6 popular fairy tales and turning them on their heads.

As rhymes, these are brilliant. Perfect meter for every pair of lines, without ever losing the essence of the sentence.

As retellings, these are fabulous. Every HEA gets twisted into another HEA but not for the original character. The retelling is dark and scary at times.

As a children's book, this doesn't work. it is too difficult for early readers, and too scary for young readers. It might work for older children, but I'd rather have this reserved for middle graders and above. They can truly enjoy the fun of the reimagined fairy tales without any disillusions or disappointment.


Profile Image for Rue.
276 reviews242 followers
Shelved as 'teenage-books'
January 24, 2020
source-38
Cover makes more sense now~
I don't know how this will hold up for a kid cause it's too twisted. Most tales in it are gruesome unlike the original tales.This was quite different than I expected and i sure had fun reading it.
Profile Image for Zeynab.
176 reviews63 followers
January 9, 2022
ترکیب سه تا عشق شوخ و خلاق:
رولد دال + کوئنتین بلیک + رضی هیرمندی
میشه کج و کوله کردن داستان‌های برادران گریم به طرز طنازانه و با نظم و وزن و تصاویر بامزه.

بلند بلند خوندمش و چقدررر خندیدم
Profile Image for Javier Casado.
Author 17 books87 followers
August 26, 2022
Soberbio, magnífico, hilarante, irónico… e incluso perverso a ratos, como bien señala el magnífico título de la edición en español: "Cuentos en verso para niños perversos". Me ha encantado.

Lo empecé, por costumbre, en su versión traducida al castellano, y debo reconocer que el traductor ha hecho un trabajo magnífico, traduciendo los versos del inglés manteniendo el mensaje y la rima. Pero tras leer el primer cuento (Cenicienta) y decidir que iba a seguir adelante con el resto del libro (¡que es cortísimo!), decidí pasarme a la versión original, empezando de nuevo desde el principio. Y, a pesar de la estupenda traducción, os recomiendo fervientemente que hagáis lo mismo si tenéis cierto dominio del inglés: leer los versos de Dahl en su inglés original es mucho mejor que leer la versión española, por estupendamente traducida que esté…

¿Qué es lo que tienen de bueno estos cuentos? Para empezar, que están escritos en verso, que ya es mérito. Pero es que además están escritos con una ironía (típicamente británica) y un humor (a veces negro) fantásticos. En ocasiones incluyendo también giros de guión inesperados, que reinventan totalmente los cuentos de una forma descacharrante.

En fin, una obrita de solamente 6 cuentos, cada uno de los cuales se lee en poco más de 5 minutos, pero que deja con un magnífico sabor de boca. Ideal para leer tanto de una tacada como algún cuentecillo suelto a ratos perdidos, y sacarnos una sonrisa.
Profile Image for Ana Lacuesta.
319 reviews107 followers
January 2, 2020
Dije que no iba a leer por una semana, pero se cruzó este librito por mi camino y lo adoré.
Los cuentos clásicos recontados por Dahl son una maravilla, con un humor ácido e incluso actualizando los clásicos, nos trae las historias de juan y las habichuelas, Ricitos de oro, Blancanieves, la Cenicienta, Caperucita Roja y los tres cerditos.
Mis favoritos estos dos últimos, y creo que es la mejor caperucita roja que vi EN MI VIDA.

Si tengo una crítica es que lo leí en media hora y me dejó con ganas de más xD
Profile Image for Ele0n0ra.
128 reviews
May 11, 2021
Una manera divertida de adaptar los cuentos infantiles de manera breve y en versos.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,258 reviews

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