George's Marvelous Medicine - Blog 9

Roald Dahl’s classic children's book, George’s Marvelous Medicine, is a great, entertaining read for children and a perfect example of a Science Fiction work of children's’ literature.

George’s parents leave him at home with his mean grandmother who is not nice to George at all but to whom George must remember to give her medicine.  Instead of giving her the right medicine, though, George concocts an awful potion from a wide array of household products that he finds.  For example, a few of the products George uses are shaving soap, hair remover, laundry detergent, flea powder, shoe polish, pepper, horseradish, animal pills, curry powder, deodorant and brown paint.

When George gives his “medicine” to his grandmother, she grows larger than the house.  George also gives the medicine to chickens and other farm animals who also grow exceptionally larger.  George’s father thinks the medicine is a great idea and that the larger animals will produce more food and could even end world hunger.  The only problem is that George cannot remember the exact recipe.  So, they try a number of variations which fail and result in various chicken abnormalities (they were all tried on chickens).  Then, when George’s grandmother grabs a cup of one of the experimental versions of the “medicine” she disappears into nothing, which they all agree is better for them in the long run.

This book fits the science fiction genre because there is no way you can make a concoction that makes you grow exceptionally larger. I'm sure their are people who wish they could. The illustrations in George's Marvelous Medicine are all pencil sketchings that are really funny. Gives much to the imagination.

Classroom Activities:

Have the students each make a recipe for a fantasy “medicine” using household ingredients, then make a story describing what their “medicine” would do.

Have the students draw pictures of chickens with the various abnormalities caused by the different variations on George’s potions.

Questions for the Students:

Describe a situation when an older person or family member was mean to them and how they reacted and dealt with the situation.

What are some things that you have cooked at home with your parents or grandparents?  How did they turn out?

Was the story realistic?  Why or why not?

George’s Marvelous Medicine is a great book.  It is highly entertaining and the illustrations by Quentin Blake compliment the fantastical story perfectly.  This is one of those books that, though written for children, is just as enjoyable for adults.

Dahl, R. (1981) George's Marvelous Medicine. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.