George's Marvellous Medicine

George's Marvellous Medicine

British first edition hardback
Author	Roald Dahl
Illustrator	Quentin Blake
Cover artist	Quentin Blake
Language	English
Genre	Children's novel
Publisher	Jonathan Cape (UK hardback) Alfred Knopf (US hardback) Puffin Books (paperback)
Publication date	1981
Publication place	United Kingdom
Media type	Print (Hardback, Paperback)

George's Marvellous Medicine (or "George's Marvelous Medicine" in the US print-runs) is a children's book written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake.

Plot summary

George Kranky, a small boy who lives on a farm with his mother, father and grandmother, is fed up of his Grandma's selfishness, grumpiness and her attitude towards him. George seeks to cure it by brewing a special medicine to cure her (made from every harmful product in the house, and several animal medicines from his father's shed), only to end up making his Grandma taller than a house. While this does not improve her disposition, it does make her happier. George's father Mr. Killy Kranky (a farmer) and mother come home; when the father sees the giant hen (produced by the medicine given to the hen to prove to Grandma that the reason she is that huge is because of his medicine, although this attempt is failed), he is excited while the mother is first in shock and then starts to ignore the grandmother.

George's father hits on the idea of making more of George's marvellous medicine to make his animals bigger and fatter so they can be sold for higher prices at the market. Unfortunately, George cannot remember the recipe (basically because he put in everything he could find); after four failed attempts, involving some oddly deformed chickens, they create a formula which makes things shrink. The nasty Grandma, feeling ignored, thinks that the medicine is her tea and drinks all of it, shrinking to nothing, and complains the entire time. The mother is sad, while the father is happy and says all is well because the grandmother was a nasty old hag; by lunchtime, the mother agrees with her husband. George then realizes that in a mere two days, he has touched, with his fingertips, the edge of another world. Yet everyone else has already forgotten about it. The story then ends.

Ingredients of his new medicine

• Bathroom items: Golden Gloss Hair Shampoo, toothpaste, some shaving soap, vitamin enriched face cream, nail varnish, hair remover ("Smear it on your legs"), Brillident (for cleaning false teeth), Dishworth's Famous Dandruff Cure, Nevermore Ponking Deodorant Spray and liquid paraffin.
• Bedroom items: Helga's Hair Set, "Flowers of Turnips" (it smells like old cheese), Pink Plaster Face Powder and a powderpuff and Lipstick.
• Shed items: Chicken Medicine, Horse strength throat lozenges, cow ointment, sheep dip and pig pills.
• Kitchen cupboard: Curry powder, mustard powder, a tin of black peppercorns, a bottle of extra hot chilli sauce and a bottle of horse radish sauce.
• Other kitchen items: SuperWhite (for automatic washing machines), WaxWell Floor Polish, flea powder, canary seeds and Dark Tan Shoe Polish.

• Garage items: Engine oil, anti-freeze and a handful of grease.
• Also: One quart dark brown gloss paint (for colour) and petrol.

TV version

Rik Mayall read this story for the BBC's Jackanory programme, in a widely acclaimed performance.