Books

The Umbrella Man and Other Stories

Information   Teaser   Teacher Resources   Cover Illustrations

Information

• First edition:
  • Viking Children's Books, 1998, USA.
• Alternate title:
  • Published as The Great Automatic Grammatizator and Other Stories in the UK
• Contains:
  • "Katina"
  • "Man From the South"
  • "Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat"
  • "Neck"
  • "Parson's Pleasure"
  • "Royal Jelly"
  • "Taste"
  • "The Butler"
  • "The Great Automatic Grammatizator"
  • "The Landlady"
  • "The Umbrella Man"
  • "The Way Up to Heaven"
  • "Vengeance is Mine Inc."

Teaser

"This new selection of Roald Dahl's short stories has been specially chosen as an introduction for teenagers into the adult writing of one of the world's greatest storytellers. Subtle and bizarre, ironic and amusing, macabre and often grotesque, in every sense these tales provide a superb first step into the unexpected world of Roald Dahl."

Teacher Resources

• "Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat"
  • Classroom Activities
    • Includes a number of questions and exercises pertaining to the story
• "Parson's Pleasure"
  • Classroom Activities
    • Includes a number of questions and exercises pertaining to the story
• "Taste"
  • Classroom Activities
    • Includes a number of questions and exercises pertaining to the story
  • Classroom Ideas
    • Includes some ideas for teaching grammar
• "The Butler"
  • Classroom Activities
    • Includes a number of questions and exercises pertaining to the story
• "The Landlady"
  • Classroom Activities
    • Includes a making your own story exercise (using extracts from Dahl's story) and questions
  • Writing Letters-to-the-Editor
    • Includes ideas for learning to write letters based on the story
  • Exploring Foreshadowing Through Letter Writing
    • A letter writing activity exploring foreshadowing based on the story
  • Online Crossword Puzzle
    • Online puzzle focussing on word definitions, synonyms, and antonyms
  • Foreshadowing and Dramatic Irony
    • Includes several activities, links, and handouts
• "The Way Up to Heaven"
  • Classroom Activities
    • Includes a number of questions and exercises pertaining to the story

Cover Illustrations

Click on any thumbnail to see the full–size version...

Viking, 1998 [Buy this Book]

Puffin, 2000 [Buy this Book]