Tortoise. Backwards.

A question on an episode of The Weakest Link, which was playing in my living room yesterday evening, was a bit of an eye opener.

I cannot remember how it was worded, but it went something along the lines of:

'Which book by Roald Dahl is tortoise backwards?'

'Esio Trot!' I shouted out.

But, it wasn't because I knew the answer. It was simply due to the fact of remembering there is a tortoise on the book's cover.

I looked the book up online shortly after I returned upstairs. Esio Trot is possibly the only Roald Dahl children's book I haven't read. Not because I was too old for it, when it was released in September 1990. 

I feel there's a good reason why I haven't read it. 

The publication date coincides with the month I first started high school. The primary school I went to was all-in on Roald Dahl. After all, us Cardiffians consider him one of us because he was born, and spent part of his childhood, here. 

I strongly believe that, had I still been at junior school when this book came out, I would have known more about it. Well, that's my defence anyway.

Dahl died a few months after I started high school. As I sit here, I am wondering how my old junior school would have dealt with such news. I have no doubt in my mind that the staff and pupils would have done a magnificent tribute to him because of how much his work was a part of that place. My love for Dahl's work will forever be credited to both the infants and junior parts of my old school. 

Anyway - back to last night's realisation. Why, oh why, did it take thirty-five years for me to figure out that Esio Trot is 'tortoise' backwards!?

One thing I'm going to have to do is read Esio Trot when I get a chance to. I'm absolutely adding it to my 'To Read' list that currently has the Booker Prize shortlisted novels, a biography about Gorilla Monsoon, a Japanese novel I quite fancy and - OBVIOUSLY! - all the Stephen King novels I have yet to read in my quest to cover his entire bibliography. 

I believe I own a physical copy of Esio Trot as well, which makes me not having read it all the more surprising. 

Yep, I do. I've just checked the shelf. On the list it goes!