An African Story (A Roald Dahl Short Story) — Content Guide for Parents
Themes present
Not found
Content themes
Factual summary of themes present in this book. No opinion — just the facts.
Get the full theme breakdown in the app
Detailed evidence, confidence ratings, and source citations for every theme.
Download for iOSExample theme card
Religious themes
PRESENTContains references to prayer and church attendance. A minister character plays a supporting role in two chapters.
About this book
An African Story is a short, gripping story of life in wartime from Roald Dahl, the master of the shocking tale.
In An African Story, Roald Dahl, one of the world's favourite authors, tells us the twisted tale of the dog killer, the missing milk, the old man and the snake.
An African Story is taken from the short story collection Over to You, which includes nine other dramatic and terrifying tales of life as a wartime fighter pilot, and is drawn from Dahl's own experiences during the Second World War.
This story is also available as a Penguin digital audio download read by Cillian Murphy.
Roald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. These delightfully disturbing tales have often been filmed and were most recently the inspiration for the West End play, Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales by Jeremy Dyson. Roald Dahl's stories continue to make readers shiver today.
Frequently asked questions
Is An African Story (A Roald Dahl Short Story) appropriate for a 7-year-old?
The story includes explicit violence where a character named Judson strikes a dog with a bamboo rod, breaking its back. The old man then puts the dog out of its misery, indicating a level of brutality in the narrative. While the story contains violent elements, it does not include genuinely frightening content that would cause fear or distress. The themes are more about conflict and brutality rather than horror.
Does An African Story (A Roald Dahl Short Story) have violence?
The story includes explicit violence where a character named Judson strikes a dog with a bamboo rod, breaking its back. The old man then puts the dog out of its misery, indicating a level of brutality in the narrative.
Does An African Story (A Roald Dahl Short Story) have scary content?
While the story contains violent elements, it does not include genuinely frightening content that would cause fear or distress. The themes are more about conflict and brutality rather than horror.
Does An African Story (A Roald Dahl Short Story) have religious themes?
No religious content is present in 'An African Story'. While Roald Dahl's background includes Lutheran and Anglican influences, this is not relevant to the book's narrative.
Does An African Story (A Roald Dahl Short Story) have racial/cultural content?
Race is not a central theme in 'An African Story'. The narrative involves characters of different backgrounds but does not explore racial issues or themes explicitly.
Does An African Story (A Roald Dahl Short Story) have profanity?
The old man curses at Judson after the violent act against the dog, indicating the presence of profanity in the narrative. However, the extent and severity of the language are not detailed in the search results.
Does An African Story (A Roald Dahl Short Story) have climate change?
There are no climate themes present in 'An African Story'. The narrative does not address environmental issues or activism.
Does An African Story (A Roald Dahl Short Story) have sexual identity?
There is no sexual content in 'An African Story'. The search results do not indicate any references to sexual themes or situations within the book.
Does An African Story (A Roald Dahl Short Story) have gender roles?
The story does not actively discuss or critique gender roles. It features male characters but does not promote or challenge traditional gender expectations.
Does An African Story (A Roald Dahl Short Story) have lgbtq+ themes?
No LGBTQ+ themes or characters are mentioned in the narrative of 'An African Story'. The search results do not provide any relevant content related to LGBTQ+ representation in this specific book.
