About This Book
Reach for this book when your child is grappling with the feeling of being small or powerless in a world run by giants. It is an ideal pick for children who enjoy a mix of whimsical humor and slightly dark, high-stakes adventure. The story follows Sophie, an orphan, and the Big Friendly Giant as they navigate a world of terrifying man-eaters and magical dream-catching. While it tackles themes of loneliness and the bravery required to stand up to bullies, it does so with Dahl's signature linguistic playfulness. Parents will appreciate how it validates a child's agency and ingenuity, though the descriptions of the 'bad' giants can be quite vivid for sensitive readers.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
1. DISTRESS: The nine 'bad' giants are depicted as truly grotesque and cruel. They discuss eating 'human beans' (people) with predatory detail. One scene involves a giant being physically bitten by another, and there is a general atmosphere of child-endangerment in the opening chapters. The BFG's own life is one of constant bullying and physical intimidation by the larger giants.
Ideal Reader
An 8-year-old with a big imagination and a slightly macabre sense of humor who loves wordplay and wants to feel like they can change the world despite their size.
Parent Prep
Read the first two chapters (The Snatch and The Cave) to gauge if the 'kidnapping' element is too intense for your child's current temperament. A child expressing fear of the dark or 'monsters' under the bed, or a child who feels they are being picked on by someone much larger or more powerful than them.
Age Experience
Younger children (7-8) focus on the funny words and the magic of dream-catching. Older children (10-12) appreciate the political satire of the Queen's involvement and the BFG's philosophical observations about human nature, such as the idea that being "articulate" isn't the same as being kind or wise.
What Makes It Special
Dahl’s invented vocabulary (gobblefunk) creates a shared secret language between the reader and the characters that few other books achieve. It provides a great opening to talk about how language works and how a character's heart is more important than their command of formal speech.
Read plot summary
Sophie is a young orphan who witnesses a giant blowing dreams into windows. Fearing she will tell, the giant (the BFG) whisks her away to Giant Country. Unlike the nine other gargantuan, human-eating giants, the BFG is gentle and eats only foul-tasting vegetables. Together, they travel to the Dream Country to capture dreams and eventually hatch a plan involving the Queen of England to imprison the man-eating giants forever.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
The BFG says he is 'a mixed-up giant' when he talks. Does the way he speaks make him less smart than the other characters? Why or why not?
2
If you could catch any kind of dream in a jar, what would be inside your favorite one?
3
The BFG refuses to eat humans even though he is starving and snozzcumbers taste gross. What does this tell us about his character?
4
Why do you think Sophie was the right person to help the BFG? What qualities did she have that a grown-up might not have?
