Two Big Birthdays for Children's Book Icons

September is a big, big month for two very important names in children's literature.

First off we have Roald Dahl, Author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, and the list goes on.

Roald Dahl's portrait by Quentin Blake, illustrator of Dahl's books.

September 13, 2016 would mark the 100th birthday of the author who penned over 20 children's books. Several went on to become movies, stage plays, operas, movies again, you name it!

Dahl also invented a language called: Gobblefunk. Syosset Library will soon be adding to our shelves a Dahl Dictionary if you are so inclined to study this language.

Our second big Birthday is for everyone's favorite little monkey, Curious George who turns 75 this year. 

He looks good for his age!

While George is one of the best known characters in Children's Literature, he was actually the "break out" character in an earlier book of H.A. Rey's. Cecily G. and the Nine Monkey's. Cecily was a giraffe -- that's where her surname initial derives -- and George was actually known as Fifi in this first book. In fact, George isn't known as "George" in every country. In Denmark he is "Peter Pedal", and "Hitomane Kozaru" in Japan, for instance. Actually, his English name was almost NOT George as it was thought it might be offensive to name him after the sitting King of English at the time of publication.

So there was a time when we could have been celebrating 75 years of Curious Zozo. I believe George has a much better ring to it.  

-Miss Jessikah