Children's book: The Twits

Overview
Roald Dahl's The Twits paints a hilariously nasty portrait of a married couple whose spite and ugliness are matched only by their delight in tormenting others. The story revels in grotesque, exaggerated detail: Mr Twit sports a beard so filthy it harbors last week's meals, while Mrs Twit specializes in gossipy meanness and petty cruelty. Together they create a small kingdom of nastiness that exposes Dahl's delight in comic vindication.
Set against a simple, almost fable-like backdrop, the narrative moves briskly from one outrage to the next. Dahl blends dark humor with slapstick plotting, keeping the tone gleeful even as the Twits' behavior grows increasingly repellent. The book turns the tables on bullying and selfishness through a chain of imaginative retaliations.

Main Characters
Mr Twit is a coarse, bearded bully who loves to play ghastly tricks, boast of his cruelties, and dream up new ways to torment animals. His beard becomes a running joke and a symbol of his moral filth as well as his physical uncleanliness. Mrs Twit is equally unpleasant in her own right: vindictive, vain, and constantly scheming to insult or embarrass her husband and anyone else who crosses her.
The supporting cast includes a troupe of Muggle-Wump monkeys, stolen from Africa and held captive to perform tricks, and a chorus of birds that fall victim to the Twits' schemes. The Roly-Poly Bird, a colourful and talkative character, plays the role of helper and instigator, linking the animals' resistance strategies with a spark of cleverness and empathy.

Plot
The Twits' daily life is a catalogue of petty horrors. They play mean tricks on each other purely for amusement and invent ever crueler ways to catch and torment birds, while keeping the monkeys confined and forced to perform humiliating stunts. Mr Twit's idea of a treat is a "bird pie," and he attempts to harvest birds by smearing glue on tree branches so unsuspecting birds stick and can be collected.
The animals refuse to be passive victims. With help from the Roly-Poly Bird, the imprisoned monkeys and the local birds cooperate to thwart the Twits' plans. What begins as a rescue becomes an ingenious, comic uprising: animals use their wits to free themselves and to turn the Twits' own tricks back upon them. The tale culminates in a satisfying reversal where cruelty meets creative consequences, delivered with the sort of retributive glee that characterizes Dahl's children's stories.

Themes and Tone
At its heart, The Twits champions kindness and cleverness over meanness and brute force. Dahl skewers pettiness and selfishness, suggesting that spiteful behavior isolates and ultimately undoes the spiteful person. The book also celebrates solidarity among the oppressed, animals working together, showing that small victims can outwit larger bullies when they combine forces.
The tone is mischievous rather than moralizing. Dahl uses grotesque imagery and exaggerated nastiness not to shock gratuitously but to set up comic catharsis. Readers are invited to laugh at the Twits' grotesqueries and to relish the poetic justice that follows.

Legacy and Appeal
The Twits remains a staple of children's literature for its punchy pacing, unforgettable characters, and bone-dry humor. Illustrations by Quentin Blake amplify the text's zaniness, capturing the Twits' ugliness with lively, sketched energy. The book's enduring popularity rests on its mix of silliness and moral clarity: children delight in the revenge plot, while parents appreciate the message about the consequences of cruelty.
Even decades after its publication, The Twits continues to entertain new readers with its outrageous premises and uncompromising comic voice. It stands as a prime example of Dahl's talent for combining mischief and moral imagination, leaving readers both amused and satisfied when nastiness finally gets its comeuppance.