Take The Roald Dahl Day Challenge!

Roald Dahl has long been one of Britain's best loved authors. Charlie, Sophie, James, Matilda, Miss Honey, the BFG... his characters and their adventures have become an essential part of growing up.

Roald Dahl died in 1990. If he had lived the 13th of September 2006 would have been his 90th birthday!

To celebrate the day Dahl's family and publishers have got together to organise the first ever Roald Dahl Day.

There will be parties, jokes, dancing and all sorts of other stuff... read on to find out how you can get involved.

First, a little bit about the man himself. This picture shows Roald Dahl in his writing hut, at Gypsy House in Great Missenden.

Dahl lived at the house for most of his adult life and wrote the books in this hut. You can explore the hut online at the Roald Dahl Museum website.

The Museum website also has a fantastic facts page to visit if you want to find out more about Dahl.

Now, the Roald Dahl Day Challenge. Think you're up to it? Can you do all ten of the funny things below on the big day?

Warning - you may end up looking a bit of a twit...

1. Wear something yellow - it was Dahl's fave colour.
2. Wear one or more items of clothing backwards.
3. Drop 'gobblefunk' (the special language Dahl invented) into your conversations!
4. Swap a Roald Dahl book with a friend.
5. Talk backwards.
6. Tell a silly joke.
7. Play an unexpected prank.
8. Give someone a treat. Roald Dahl was a great believer in treats, whether it was a bar of chocolate or a lovely surprise.
9. Write your own Revolting Rhyme.
10. Make up an Ooma Loompa dance and get all your friends to join in!

If you're under 10, try to do as many things as your age. If you're over 10 - do all of them! When you've finished, you can download a special Roald Dahl Day Challenge Certificate.

We think that's just the best challenge ever. Wish we could watch you all having backwards gobblefunk chats in your back-to-front yellow outfits!

There's more to the day than the challenge though.

All over the country there are special events going on - storytelling, films, tea parties, readings... all sorts of stuff.

Find out what's on near you on the Roald Dahl Day website.

If you don't live near one of the events, why not throw your own party? At home, at school, with your friends... it's up to you.

Maybe you could get together and take the challenge at the party?

Get started with party ideas, posters and activity downloads from the offical Roald Dahl Day website.

Lastly... wondering what these odd people are doing and why they look so yellow?

Well, the first 500 people who turn up at Alton Towers theme park on Saturday September 16 2006 wearing a completely yellow outfit get in free, in honour of Roald Dahl and their new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-inspired ride.

Whatever you get up to, have fun and don't forget to tell us all about it!!