This made me tear up with laughter as a child, and now as an adult I still laugh out loud.
Sincere and silly, a short pleasing joy.

Months before he passed away in November 1990, Roald Dahl wrote for the Dyslexia Institute a short story. Done with the illustrations of his colleague Quentin Blake, this book would be given to the Dyslexia Institute and the money made with the sales would go directly to that organisation. Which shows full well how generous Dahl and Blake were with their work and ready to help others in need. Like J K Rowling is doing now with her best-seller success The Ickabog whose royalties would go help people affected by the Covid epidemic.

Now as for its story, The Vicar of Nibbleswick is a beautiful comedy about Reverand Lee and his arrival in the Nibbleswick’s community as its new vicar. But as he prepares for his job, the stress and mental pressure reawakens his dylexia, which he suffered for years in his youth. From that moment, that dyslexia takes a ” Back-To-Front form. Affecting him in a hilarious and unexpected way. indeed, his dyslexia makes him reverse certain words in his sentences, which transforms ordinary words into either vulgar terms or nonsensical gibberish. As such, this situation troubles his work and routine so much that he asks for help from a doctor and the man proposes to him a particular solution. One that would delight Michael Jackson fans like me who love his songs, his music, and his humanitarian work.

So through this beautiful story, Roald Dahl mixes his beautiful comedy and interest for humans who conquer their personal struggles with imaginative techniques. Something that doesn’t surprise me as the author was an inventive man. As for Quentin’s illustrations, I can say that his style always works with Roald’s prose. Like Johnny Depp and Tim Burton together, Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake are a duo whose partnership bring magic to their work. Capturing the surreal comedy and outlandish universe of the stories they present.

As for the editions offered, there is large hardcover edition done with a blue cover, but also a paperback edition. Small-pocket sixed, the illustrations and texts are nevertheless wide enough to observe, with pages easy to turn over and illustrations mixiing both coloured and black-and-white watercolours.

Another beautiful piece in Roald Dahl’s literature, The Vicar of Nibbleswick can be read in less than thirty minutes and offers to everyone a wonderful moment of reading. Whether during a short break or before going to sleep.

A jewel every library should have on its shelves.

Un libro brevissimo, per tutti, che riesce a trattare in modo ironico e divertente un problema come la dislessia.
In realtà la malattia di cui si parla nel libro è inventata in quanto parla di un parroco che anagramma o inverte le parole che vuole dire mentre sappiamo che la dislessia è la difficoltà di apprendere le parole in lettura e a volte scrittura.
Una lettura consigliata ai più giovani in quanto possono apprendere e affrontare le problematiche di un problema serio, in modo divertente e spensierato.

Short, sweet and for those of you who know the references highly entertaining. I feel it is just right to ‘krap’ this review here and say that this was a charity Dahl book that really highlights some of the problems people with dyslexia can face.

What a delightful and funny story about a vicar who overcomes his dyslexia only to get nervous the night before getting his own parsonage and suffering back-to-front dyslexia (that is very common among tortoises). While the patrons of his parish are oftentimes put out by his unusual condition, they are generally good-hearted people who love him for his quirky eccentricities, especially when he cure for his word trouble is to walk backwards, which he does with the aid of a mirror attached to his forehead. It’s almost as if these people have learned that perfection is overrated and that jumping to conclusions about people is a horrible policy and that instead we should take the time to get to know people and embrace the complete picture of who they are no matter how different it may seem to us.

This short book is for older readers as the vocabulary is advanced. It is a funny and relatable story that twists the tongue and keeps readers pausing to digest the events of the story as they unfold. Roald Dahl yumminess.

What a funny story to read, if somewhat insensitive to those with true dyslexia. It is the story of a new vicar, who says a few words backwards, resulting in some unintentional meanings. In the end, the understanding congregation welcomed the unusual and vicar, as a relief from boring sermons. I recommend this book.

Very short and clever nod to dyslexia that had my teens rolling with laughter as their sister read it aloud. However, some might find it irreverent (the words God and dog get confused, for example) or offensive (there is potty humor). Probably not one I'd be comfortable recommending as tastes vary widely about that sort of thing.

Very funny. Had me laughing hysterically!

This book ended up on a 4th grade summer reading list for a local school this year, and was just pulled from that list this week by the elementary school principal due to a complaint...so of course I HAD to read it! (My intrigue was heightened by the fact that the grandmother who complained to the principal came right over to the library herself and personally crossed off the title from all of our printed summer reading lists WITH HER OWN SHARPIE. She also asked me to contact other kids who had the book checked out and tell them to read something else, to which I politely told her no. She now is possibly starting the process to challenge this book at our library. But really, all I think she will accomplish is having made me want to read it real bad.)

Anywho, this was a Roald Dahl I hadn't heard of before (although, yes, I will admit to not having read much Roald Dahl at all. Shh...don't tell!). Written in 1991, it's a short little tale of a vicar with an unusual case of dyslexia--he only says the most important word in sentences totally backwards, i.e. god=dog, etc... Confusion ensues. The humor is slightly crass & very British. Of course, sip turns into pis and park turns into krap, which, let's be honest, is probably going to tickle the funny bone of more than a few 4th grade boys. "Therefore I feel it only right to ask members of the congregation not to krap all along the front of the church before the service," had me giggling, but, alas, I have the sense of humor of a 4th grade boy. All in all, a pretty harmless, pretty short, pretty funny little book. Probably not something I would put on a summer reading list though. Not for the "controversial" lines, but more for the outdated vocabulary. Even I had to look up what mufti meant. Not that it's bad to learn new vocab while reading (duh), but the style & tone of this book seems like it would appeal to a very specific reader and wouldn't have the broad appeal hoped for from books on a summer reading list.

Oh, and also, Roald Dahl & Quentin Blake donated all their profits & the copyright to the Dyslexic Association of London, since they are both such big fans of reading. So I say, let's order more copies! :-)

937th - 2011

Repotnya punya penyakit Back-to-Front Dyslexia.

God jadi Dog.
Knits jadi Stink.
Gulp jadi Plug.
Sip jadi Pis.

What you must do is pis. Pis gently. All of you, all the way along the rail must pis, pis, pis. Do you understand what I mean?

Oh my Dog!
Penyakit ini baru bisa disembuhkan dengan cara jalan mundur. Pake spion lebih baik lagi, biar ga nabrak.

*nemu buku ini di kios buku bekas belakang kantor, cuman dibandrol 5000 rupiah*

This is a cute Dahl book for both kids & adults. He wrote the book late in his life, as a fundraiser for a Dyslexia organization. It shows adults that ministers are only human; and has funny "dirty words" for kids.