The Roald Dahl classic ‘The BFG’ is now a story about a young girl who briefly lies awake at night and then eventually manages to get back to sleep, publisher Puffin has confirmed.
A spokesperson for Puffin said the company had made a few ‘small tweaks’ to the children’s book, removing any references to giants so as not to single out larger people. “As we know, giants come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very small, some are a little larger. But we thought it was easier just to remove them from the story altogether. We don’t believe it will affect the narrative in any significant way”.
She said the new version, which now stretches to two pages, would enable a new generation of readers to enjoy the book, but stressed adults would hardly notice any differences. “It’s very subtle. Apart from the scenes that involve giants, it’s all still there! Oh, and the central character Sophie now lives in Beijing, to make it more accessible to our emerging Chinese market. So as you’ll see, it’s basically the same as before”.
Puffin also confirmed that other Roald Dahl titles had been updated, including “Charlie and the Fair-Trade, Fully- Unionised Chocolate Factory”, the story about an equal-opportunity employer that observes OH&S recommendations and pays above market rates for its cocoa.
