The museum is geared primarily toward young children, but we had no trouble embracing the world of imagination and diving into the activities, including taking a seat in a replica of the writer's favorite chair and getting behind the wheel of an airplane with facts on his time the World War II pilot.
We read and listened to interviews with Roald Dahl and other children's authors (including J.K. Rowling, of course!) about their craft, their writing routines, and their tips for budding young writers. We saw how young children can use the facilities to draw from these inspirations to create their own works of writing and illustration.
Our tour guide shared details of Dahl's family and professional life, from his first marriage to Patricia Neal and their four children to his first book, his budding relationship with world famous illustrator Quentin Blake, and his second marriage to Felicity Crosland.
Later, we headed over to Eagle & Child, an Oxford pub famous for playing host to the "Inklings- weekly meetings of the minds of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein, and other prominent Oxford authors of their time. We discussed The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as it relates to the Harry Potter series, trends in children's literature at large, and what we've learned on our trip so far.
On our way out, we even heard that the C.S. Lewis Society still has a standing reservation on Tuesday nights to honor the Inklings' legacy!
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