The Minpins

Little Billy doesn't listen to his mother when she tells him all the reasons not to venture into the Forest of Sin. Instead he sets off into the trees and finds himself in danger of being eaten. But with the help of some new friends, Billy finds a way to outwit the monsters that live there and find a way home.

This short novella begins with more of a religious slant than expected (apparently it's the Devil whispering into Billy's ear telling him to ignore his mother) but soon evolves into Dahl's familiar ridiculous and exaggerated style with birds and secret worlds. I enjoyed the ending suggesting that everyone should watch the world carefully because "the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places" and that "those show more who don't believe in MAGIC will never find it." 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 stars for target audience. 3 stars for me. show less

Perhaps my favorite of the lot was The Minpins which is a large sized picture book with beautiful color illustrations. The artwork alone makes this a fantastic piece of children's literature. This was posthumously published and is very different from the other books which I've read by him (and illustrated by Patrick Benson instead of Quentin Blake). It is the story of Little Billy (a human child) who escapes from his family home into the woods where he has been expressly forbidden to enter. There he comes into contact with a ferocious beast...and tiny little people called the Minpins who live high up in the trees. A marvelous adventure unfolds among these disparate characters which is both beautifully told and fantastically illustrated. show more It's a must read. show less

This is the last work of Dahl's and was printed in 1991, a year after his death.

Illustrated by Patrick Benson, this book has more of a fairy tale quality about it than the others. The story line seems more sleep like and simple. It is a quiet book, unlike Dahl's previous works that at times seem to me to be noisy with images flying all over the pages.

Little Billy's mother is over protective and ever fearful he will get into trouble.

Billy listens to the whisper of the devil and he escapes to the forest of sin where

"None come out, but many go in."

There he is hunted by roaring fire breathing monster. Seeking refuge he climbs higher and higher into a magical tree filled with thousands of tiny creatures whose adult faces are no bigger than a show more pea and the faces of the children are as small as the head of a match stick.

Climbing about the trees by using green suction boots, the very mobile mipins create a village in the tree branches and are transported from one tree village to another by friendly birds.

Helping the Minpins by killing the fire breathing Gruncher, Billy becomes the hero of them all.

I very much liked this book for the stunningly beautiful illustrations and the mystical quality throughout. show less

A little boy sneaks off to a forbidden forest, gets chased by a ginormous, smoke-breathing monster, gets rescued by a group of tiny people, and with their help, saves the day.
Not one of my favorite Dahl books, but still pretty good.

When I first started reading this one to my 7-year-old I was little concerned that it might give him nightmares - it starts off a bit scary. The devil whispers in the little boy's ear, he goes into the Forest of Sin, and then is chased by a terrifying monster who wants to eat him... but it eventually comes around and the little boy and the Minpins (the tiny people who inhabit the forest) eventually kill the terrifying monster rather easily. It's a very satisfying story for a 7-year-old boy (or a 40-year-old mom for that matter) it seems to have a little of everything and the illustrations are beautiful, too. Plus, I think it's just the right length. We read it in two nights.

Definitely has the delight and whimsy of other Dahl books - too bad it's quite short. I enjoyed the illustrations in this version, definitely comes off as an very young illustrated book, not like the others that are closer to or sometimes are chapter books. Enjoyed!

Billy's mum says he must never go out through the garden gate and explore the dark forest beyond. So, one day, he does exactly that! There Billy meets the amazing Minpins, tiny people who live inside the hollow trees.

But the Minpins are in danger. The terrible, galloping Gruncher stalks the forest, and the Minpins are disappearing in their thousands. Can Billy find a way to destroy the hungry beast, once and for all--or will it gobble him up too?