George's Marvelous Medicine

George goes through the house collecting everything runny, powdery or gooey he can find, from shampoo and toothpaste to floor polish and the animals' medicines, and stirs it all together in a big pot on the stove. When Grandma drinks a spoonful, the results are explosive: she shoots up through the roof of the farmhouse. George tries the mixture on the farm animals too, producing an enormous chicken and some very surprising cows and pigs.

George's father is delighted by the giant animals and wants to make more, but George cannot remember exactly what went into the first batch. Each new attempt has a different and stranger effect. The story is short, fast and full of Dahl's love of mischief and wordplay, and Quentin Blake's drawings add to the comedy. The ending is famously wicked, in true Dahl style. The book itself warns young readers not to try making the medicine at home, since it would be dangerous.

Short, silly and very funny, a great choice for reluctant readers and for reading aloud. Children who enjoyed The Twits or Fantastic Mr Fox will love its outrageous humour, and it often turns new readers into lifelong Dahl fans. About 112 pages in the Puffin paperback.