Sections: Information | Description | Reviews | Awards | Fun Stuff | Teacher Ideas | Covers | Bulgarian, Czech, Dutch, Estonian, French, Frisian, Galician, German, Greek, Hebrew, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Slovakian, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Welsh Covers
Information
Information on identifying editions is from Richard Walker’s “Roald Dahl – A Guide to Collecting His First Editions”.
- First editions:
- Knopf, 1975, USA.
- Illustrated by: Jill Bennett
- To identify: Used a numberline with jacket priced at $5.95
- Jonathan Cape, 1975, UK.
- To identify: Used single statement as per normal practice (‘First published’ followed by the date with later printings stated underneath) with a jacket priced at £2.25
- Illustrated by: Jill Bennett
- Knopf, 1975, USA.
- Later editions:
- Jonathan Cape, 1994, UK.
- To identify: Used a number line and a jacket pricing of £8.99
- Illustrated by: Quentin Blake
- Knopf, 2002, USA.
- To identify: Used a number line in a non-priced jacket
- Illustrated by: Quentin Blake
- Jonathan Cape, 1994, UK.
- Connections:
- Pheasant poaching plot is very similar to previous short story “The Champion of the World”
- Danny’s father tells him a bedtime story about The BFG
- Related books:
- Movies:
- Danny the Champion of the World (TV movie - 1989)
- Theater:
- Danny the Champion of the World adapted by David Wood
- Audio Books:
- Danny the Champion of the World read by Nigel Anthony and Joanna David
- Danny the Champion of the World read by Timothy West
- Danny the Champion of the World read by Nathaniel Parker
- Danny the Champion of the World read by Jimmy Hibbert
- Danny the Champion of the World read by Will Young
- Danny the Champion of the World read by Robert Powell
- Danny the Champion of the World read by Peter Serafinowicz
- Roald Dahl Audio Books read by David Walliams, Stephen Fry, Kate Winslet, Chris O'Dowd, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Peter Serafinowicz, Miranda Richardson, Richard Ayoade, Douglas Hodge
- Roald Dahl Audio Books (10 CD Collection) read by Simon Callow, Miriam Margolyes, Geoffrey Palmer, James Bolam, Andrew Sachs, June Whitfield, Timothy West, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Martin Jarvis
- TV Shows:
- Jackanory (1965)
- Buy this book:
Description
Can Danny and his father outsmart the villainous Mr. Hazell?
Danny has a life any boy would love—his home is a gypsy caravan, he’s the youngest master car mechanic around, and his best friend is his dad, who never runs out of wonderful stories to tell. But one night Danny discovers a shocking secret that his father has kept hidden for years. Soon Danny finds himself the mastermind behind the most incredible plot ever attempted against nasty Victor Hazell, a wealthy landowner with a bad attitude. Can they pull it off? If so, Danny will truly be the champion of the world.
Reviews
- “The middle ground” by Isabel Quigly from the December 6, 1975 issue of The Spectator (UK) (read online)
Awards
- Surrey School award (UK 1978)
- California Young Reader Medal (USA 1979)
Fun Stuff


Merchandise
- Charm – Gypsy Caravan
- Elsewhere on the web:
- Limited edition prints by illustrator Jill Bennett
- Danny and the Champions of the World – a rock band from London!
Teacher Ideas
- Danny the Champion of the World – Chapter 12
- PDF with activities to explore and develop strategies to write a script
- Danny the Champion of the World – Chapter 5
- PDF with activities to analyse, design and evaluate a new pheasant-catching trick
- Danny the Champion of the World – Chapter 7
- PDF with activities to make a word-picture describing a story entitled: "The first time I..."
- Danny the Champion of the World – Chapter Study Guides
- Vocabulary words and questions for each chapter of the book, along with a suggested final project (note: Archive.org)
- Danny the Champion of the World – Literature Guide
- PDF including Initiating Activity, Mini Lessons, Critical Thinking Questions, Related Activites, and more
- Danny the Champion of the World – Novel Study (Preview)
- PDF preview of Novel Study including everything you need to teach the novel (full version available for purchase on novelstudies.org)
- Quick Student Workbooks
- Designed to get students thinking critically about the text they read and provide a guided study format to facilitate in improved learning and retention
Covers
- Cape, 1975
- Knopf, 1975
- Puffin, 1977
- Heinemann, 1977
- Bantam, 1978
- Bantam, 1984
- Puffin, 1987
- Puffin, 1988
- Puffin, 1989
- Puffin, 1994
- Jonathan Cape, 1994
- Puffin, 1998
- Puffin, 2001
- Knopf, 2002
- Puffin, 2007
- Puffin, 2007
- Puffin, 2007
- Penguin, 2007
- Heinemann
- Jonathan Cape, 2010
- Puffin, 2016
- Puffin, 2018
Bulgarian Covers – Дани – шампион на света
- Enthusiast
Czech Covers – Danny, mistr světa
- Knižní klub, 2008
- Knižní klub, 2012
- Pikola, 2017
Dutch Covers – Daantje, de wereldkampioen
- Uitgeverij De Fontein, 2016
Estonian Covers – Danny, maailma parim
- Draakon & Kuu, 2016
French Covers – Danny, Champion du Monde
- 1978
- Hachette Jeunesse, 1987
- Hachette Jeunesse, 1987
- Hachette Jeunesse, 1999
- Hachette Jeunesse, 2001
- Stock, 2010
- Gallimard, 2020
Frisian Covers – Lytse Daan, de Wrâldkampioen
- Wijdemer, 2013
Galician Covers – Danny, o campión do mundo
German Covers – Danny oder Die Fasanenjagd
Greek Covers – ΝΤΑΝΙ, Ο ΠΡΩΤΑΘΛΗΤΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΚΟΣΜΟΥ
- Psichogios, 1996
Hebrew Covers
Korean Covers – 우리의 챔피언 대니
- Sigongsa, 2006
Lithuanian Covers – Denis pasaulio čempionas
- Garnelis
Norwegian Covers – Danny og den store fasanjakten
- Gyldendal, 2018
Polish Covers – Danny, mistrz świata
- Znak, 2016
Portuguese Covers – Danny, o Campeão do Mundo
Russian Covers – Дэнни – чемпион мира
Serbian Covers – Deni, prvak sveta
- Beli Put, 2010
Slovakian Covers – Danny – majster sveta
- Enigma
- Enigma
Spanish Covers – Danny el campeón del mundo
Vietnamese Covers – Nhà Vô Địch Thế Giới
- Kim Đồng
- Kim Đồng, 2014