Roald Dahl's works are universally regarded as timeless masterpieces that appeal to both children and adults. The colourful and inventive method in which he recounts his stories is one of the reasons for their appeal. His writings are immensely enjoyable because they are loaded with humour, wit, and a sense of the bizarre. Furthermore, his stories frequently contain a strong sense of morality and a lesson to be learnt. They also frequently feature memorable characters and surroundings with which people may identify. His novels are well-written and delightful to read, which is why they are so successful, with some of his best-selling titles selling over 250 million copies.

However, Dahl had a history of making anti-Semitic remarks and incorporating racist motifs and terminology in his novels. For example, his inspiration behind the characters of the working tribe of Oompa-Loompas from "Charlie and the chocolate factory" had derived from a real ethnic group residing in Africa, the African Pygmy tribe. Another controversial dialogue can be seen, In James and the Giant Peach, the Grasshopper declares at one point: “I’d rather be fried alive and eaten by a Mexican.He has also been labelled a misogynist for portraying women negatively in works such as The Witches.

As a result, according to The Independent, hundreds of changes have been made to Dahl’s work. Some of these changes include the "old hags" in "The Witches" becoming "old crows" and women who were described as supermarket cashiers or letter writers for businessmen being rewritten as top scientists or business owners. Other changes include the Cloud-Men in James and the Giant Peach becoming Cloud-People, the removal of references to the electric chair in George's Marvellous Medicine and the replacement of the mention of novelist Rudyard Kipling with Jane Eyre as he had been a known racist and misogynist.

Nevertheless, this act has arisen sparks of debate amongst critics who claim this is literary censorship and should therefore, be condemned under all circumstances.British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the country's first racial minority leader, also criticised the decision.A spokesperson had stated: "I think it’s important that works of literature and works of fiction are preserved and not airbrushed. We have always defended the right to free speech and expression".

This ensures several possible ways of reforming literature of the past that is widely criticised in modern times, one being continuing the publishment of such books despite the backlashing on sexism, misogyny, violence and other such unsuitable topics for children, or simply discontinuingpicking the publishment of such books and risk another company pickng it up instead; this leaves a never-ending debate on the manner of handling disputable children's books similar to Roald Dahl.