The Boy Who Talked with Animals

by Roald Dahl

The Boy Who Talked with Animals is a short story from Roald Dahl, often published within The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More (1977) .

It tells of a turtle that has landed Jamaican beach resort beach. Everyone wants to hunt it down for its meat and shell, but David, a small boy, becomes hysterical and tries to save the turtle. His parents explain that he is very sensitive to animals and they volunteer to buy the turtle from the resort owner. The next day, two local fishermen come back with a crazy story!

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, France, Childrens, Classics

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Roald Dahl was a beloved British author, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter pilot, best known for his enchanting and often darkly humorous children's books that have captivated generations of readers around the world. Born in Llandaff, Wales, to Norwegian parents, Dahl led a life marked by adventure, tragedy, creativity, and enduring literary success. His vivid imagination and distinctive storytelling style have made him one of the most celebrated children's authors in modern literature.
Before becoming a writer, Dahl lived a life filled with excitement and hardship. He served as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II, surviving a near-fatal crash in the Libyan desert. His wartime experiences and travels deeply influenced his storytelling, often infusing his works with a sense of danger, resilience, and the triumph of the underdog. After the war, he began writing for both adults and children, showing a rare versatility that spanned genres and age groups.
Dahl's children's books are known for their playful use of language, unforgettable characters, and a deep sense of justice, often pitting clever children against cruel or foolish adults. Some of his most iconic titles include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox, and The Witches. These works are filled with fantastical elements and moral undertones, empowering young readers to challenge authority, think independently, and believe in the impossible.
Equally acclaimed for his work for adults, Dahl wrote numerous short stories characterized by their macabre twists and dark humor. His stories were frequently published in magazines such as The New Yorker and later compiled into bestselling collections like Someone Like You and Kiss Kiss. He also wrote screenplays, including the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and the adaptation of Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Despite his literary success, Dahl was a complex and sometimes controversial figure, known for his strong opinions and difficult personality. Nonetheless, his books continue to be treasured for their wit, originality, and the sense of wonder they inspire. Many of his stories have been adapted into successful films, stage plays, and television specials, further cementing his legacy.
Dahl's impact on children's literature is immeasurable. His ability to connect with young readers through a mix of irreverence, heart, and imagination has made his stories timeless. Even after his death, his books remain in print and continue to be read by millions of children worldwide. His writing not only entertains but also encourages curiosity, courage, and compassion.
Roald Dahl's work lives on as a testament to the power of storytelling and the magic of a truly original voice. He remains a towering figure in literature whose creations continue to spark joy, mischief, and inspiration across generations.

Reviews

[Emily B · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a disappointing short story. Forgettable characters and not a great plot either. It could have easily been shorter.

[Mariah Roze · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy The Boy Who Talked With Animals. I thought it was very slow, random and not entertaining. It took me a long time to get through this short story.

[Marlborough Michael]

The Boy Who Talked with Animals by Roald Dahl is about a boy that can talk with animals and talk to a sea turtle because he was caught by some sailors. To be specific, we can say that a sea turtle had been caught and brought on a resort beach and everyone wants to kill it for the meat and its shell. A small boy David becomes worried and angry and tries to save the turtle. His parents explain that he is very sensitive to animals and they volunteer to buy the turtle from the resort owner. While they are haggling over the price, David talks to the turtle and tells it to swim away. During the night the boy himself disappears and next day two local fishermen come back with a crazy story – they have seen a boy riding the turtle out in the middle of the ocean! The narrator's POV is in a Third Person's POV, and I believe Roald Dahl is trying to say that harming marine animals are not very helpful to our environment.

[~Calyre~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trois histoires :

L'enfant qui parlait aux animaux : The boy who talked with animals
L'auto-stoppeur : The Hitch-Hiker
Le trésor de Mildenhall : The Mildenhall treasure

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, mostly I'm just jealous that I don't have a giant turtle friend who will carry me away from all my problems and take me to an uninhabited tropical island

[Zineb · Rating 1 out of 5]

La dernière histoire est super ennuyeuse 😒
Je ne l'ai même pas terminer car elle n'attire pas

[Dani Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The lil boy in the story reminded me of somewhere very special to me so i absolutely adored this story.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful and quirky and why is the boy too relatable? xD

[Tish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very typical of Roald Dahl this, trying to teach us a leason, this one's how to respect animals

[Géraldine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect book. Poetic and sometimes terrific.

[booksandmore.with.ananya · Rating 5 out of 5]

🐢The Boy Who Talked With Animals 🐢
- by Roald Dahl
☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
This short story absolutely won my heart from the very start. If you love animals, go and give it a read. This story is originally included in the book titled 'The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More'.
But this one, it needs to be mentioned separately! 💚 It's such a beautiful and heart-touching short story. I've read something like this after so long!
The story begins with our author who went to have a vacation in Jamaica, West Indies. The hotel where he checked in, was a spot of mysterious happenings. The writer was having some kind of a premonition that something would go wrong at that place. Then a gigantic turtle was caught by some fishermen, and bought by the hotel manager to be cooked for the guests. And then we get to see our protagonist, the little boy.
I liked the ending. It is the best ending of all I would say. I just wish every human being were such a boy within their heart. This Earth could have been a much better place. 🕊️

[Mike Booth · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay story, but it does feel like it's missing something. It's almost as if the author had started writing, and had the start and the end of the story sorted, but didn't have time for a middle and so just linked the two sections together.
There is definitely the potential for there to be an interesting story here, but we get barely any sense of the title character's abilities before we reach the final page. It's set up nicely, and I quite liked the ending being semi-ambiguous, but I do wish we'd have got a bit more meat in the tale. There were some interesting ideas raised - the mysteries in the hills, for example, or the sense of foreboding the protagonist has - but after being mentioned once, are not touched on again.
Even for a short story, it seems abrupt. It's not badly written, it just seems to have had some sections removed, as I said. The full story, I imagine, would have been great, but as it is, it is only average.

[juna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trois histoires en une :
-L’enfant qui parlait aux animaux : pas assez profond, faut aller plus loin la prochaine fois
-L’auto-stoppeur : drôle mais tellement pas adapté aux enfants mdr
-Le trésor de Mildenhall : giga intéressant

[The Book Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome. Review to come

[rabia the stupid idiot · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
kind of boring and not that entertaining

[Raegan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This wasn't entertaining to me. I thought the plot was boring/dumb.

[Amalu]

Short story with a good theme. But I wish the boy could have come back.

[Sophie Bowns · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was strange and didn’t quite flow.

[classicreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was simple but I liked it and the ending. I need a turtle friend to go island hopping with now 🐢🐢

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun short story, but not one of Roald's better works.

[itchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

10October2022

Read as part of the collection The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeff and I listened to this together and both enjoyed it. The boy leaving his family at the end surprised me, but that's what Roald Dahl does.

[Looney · Rating 1 out of 5]

0/5

[Aggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and random little story about a boy and a tortoise. Definitely not one of his best works but it was attention grabbing enough.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to on youtube

[Anirudh Mannattil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwarming.

[Veronika Barta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shorty September 2024: Jorts (jean shorts)

[Karthick Murali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing writing!!

[Jason Procopio]

Zadie: « Très bien, les illustrations étaient bien faites. »

[Julie Antier · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 nouvelles aux contenus bien différents
- la 1ere raconte l'histoire d'un enfant qui sauve une tortue géante d'une mort certaine
- la 2eme, celle d'un conducteur qui prend en auto-stop un passager bien intrigant et pas si honnête, mais...
- la 3eme, celle de 2 paysans anglais, aux personnalites bien differentes, qui découvrent un trésor durant la 2eme guerre.