Willy Wonka Wonderful

When I was a kid I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  It's the story of a little boy named Charlie who is terribly poor.  He lives in the same town as the famous and mysterious Willy Wonka chocolate factory.  The whole story is based on Willy Wonka placing five golden tickets in his candybars.  Anyone could find them.  And whoever does gets a full tour of his magical factory.  I remembered that I loved this story but that was pretty much the extent of it.  Many many years have past since I even thought about this story...until a few weeks ago.  While we were on vacation my book loving eight year old found my old worn paperback copy in grandma's basement.  So, of course we started right into it.

I know, I'm adult...at least the numbers say so.  But I felt like a little kid who was being told a fantastic bedtime story.  I couldn't put it down. My kids gathered around wide eyed and soon grandma was listening too.  She was totally dissapointed if we read a chapter without her and would ask for an update and what happened. 

My kids went around chanting "Augustus Gloop the nincompoop" and rolling in laughter for days.  (No, I don't usually encourage calling people nincompoops...but really, Augustus Gloop was so overindulgent and put his whole face into the chocolate river...well, you have to read it, it was true humor)

When the story was over I tucked my kids into bed and my four year said with a grin on his face "that would be awesome!"  I could tell that finding the Golden Ticket and being in the wonderously magical Wonka Chocolate factory was a dream that would not soon leave his mind.

The next day I was at Wal-Mart and I passed these:

I couldn't resist.  Willy Wonka Chocolate bars complete with the chance to find your own Golden Ticket and win a trip.  They were two dollars a piece but I went ahead and got them anyways...one for each of us.   And when I got home my kids' eyes were wide with excitement. 

 They stood together with giddy anticipation and opened the first candybar together...no Golden Ticket.  But, they said that the chocolate was delicious (scrumdullyumptious as the package promised).  The other two candy bars were not winners either but, just as in the book, many will buy but only a few will win.

You have to read it to your kids...and yourself.  It's positively magical.  And when you're done head over to Wal-Mart and buy some Willy Wonka chocolate bars.  Make it a family event.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect story....I want to do it again.