SMALL PRINT TORONTO and TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY invite you to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ROALD DAHL's novel CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. With literary luminaries like DENNIS LEE sharing the stage with indie rockers THE OOMPA LOOMPA ORCHESTRA, the 5th ANNUAL TORONTO ROALD DAHL DAY will be what Willy Wonka calls “a cavalcade of wonderful surprises!"

The cornerstone of Toronto Roald Dahl Day is a short story contest for writers aged 8-12. This summer, young writers across Canada were invited to write a Toronto-based variation on Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, including an original song for the novel’s Grecian chorus, the Oompa Loompas.

At the event, there will an awards ceremony hosted by DENNIS LEE, author of such CanLit classics as ALLIGATOR PIE. The grand-prize winning entry will be published in the award-winning Canadian literary magazine TADDLE CREEK. And the OOOMPA LOOMPA ORCHESTRA featuring acclaimed musicians DON KERR, KEVIN LACROIX and PAUL LINKLATER, will perform the top songs.

The judging panel for this year’s Story Contest features leading Children's Book Editors SHEILA BARRY of Groundwood Books, HADLEY DYER from HarperCollins Canada, LYNN MISSEN of Penguin Random House Canada, and TARA WALKER from Tundra Books/Penguin Random House Canada, as well as CONAN TOBIAS, editor of Taddle Creek and authors Dennis Lee and EVAN MUNDAY.

Roald Dahl fans of all ages can also enjoy D.I.Y. (Do-It-Yourself) crafts and awesome activities, ranging from dressing up at Willy Wonka’s Wardrobe Photo Booth to designing your own chocolate bar wrapper.

The 5th Annual Toronto Roald Dahl Day is poised to be the Fall's biggest event for little storytellers. Space is limited. Be sure to reserve your free tickets early at www.smallprinttoronto.org