I read a lot of Roald Dahl books as a child, and have read quite a few more to my own children, most recently to my disabled youngest daughter. The Twits was one of those. 
 The Twits, although it has its moments, is one of my least favourite Dahl books, perhaps the least favourite. 
 It's easy to be too po-faced about humour in children's books, and perhaps my reaction is coloured by the knowledge that Dahl was not a particularly pleasant man and had some rather nasty opinions ... but even so, my reaction predates knowledge of his anti-Semitic views and other prejudices. And other of his books have not struck a sour chord with me in the same way. 
 The book opens with a rather strange tirade against men with beards. But fair enough, it's just a fashion choice. What I found far less palatable as something being channeled into the heads of children was the assertion that ugly people are evil (have ugly thoughts). This is basically an extension of medieval thinking to the end that bad things happen to bad people and if misfortune befalls someone it's safe to assume that they had it coming. 
 He says that if a person thinks good thoughts it will "shine through" and even if they have features that are technically ugly we will see just by looking that they are a nice person. This is of course bollocks, and not just that, it's dangerous bollocks, and should not be told to children. 
 The idea that someone who looks ugly to us is ugly inside too is sufficient reason on its own to cast this book aside. 
 Moving on. 
 The rest of the book comprises two unpleasant people being unpleasant to each other in not particularly humorous ways, followed by the addition of monkeys and a magical bird who then outwit them in a rather unconvincing manner. 
 I really was not taken with the story, but it wasn't terrible. Give me James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or The Fantastic Mr Fox any day. 
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