James and the giant peach a childrens story paperback jan 1 1980 by roald dahl author nancy ekholm burkert illustrator 47 out of 5 stars 1184 ratings see all formats and editions. James and the giant peach is a popular childrens novel written in 1961 by british author roald dahl the first edition published by alfred knopf featured illustrations by nancy ekholm burkert. Life there is no fun until james accidentally drops some magic crystals by the old peach tree and strange things start to happen the peach at the top of the tree begins to grow and before long its as big as a house inside james meets a bunch of oversized friends grasshopper centipede ladybug and more. James and the giant peach was roald dahls first classic novel for children