--- description: Dahl's daughter died from the measles as a child title: Read Roald Dahl's Tear-Jerking Letter Explaining Why People Should Vaccinate Their Children image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5720089b77a2d2d/69877d2e3c1639058d4518a5/465280065.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Read Roald Dahl's Tear-Jerking Letter Urging Parents to Vaccinate Their Kids by [Laura Stampler](/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 2, 2015 5:51 PM CUT  British writer Roald Dahl (1916 - 1990) on Dec. 11, 1971 British writer Roald Dahl (1916 - 1990) on Dec. 11, 1971Ronald Dumont—Getty Images by [Laura Stampler](/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 2, 2015 5:51 PM CUT As the recent [measles outbreak](http://time.com/3692276/measles-numbers-cdc/ "undefined") in the U.S. grows, fueling a debate about parents who choose not to vaccinate their children, a 27-year-old letter written by beloved author Roald Dahl explaining his passionate stance on the issue has gone [viral](http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2015/02/01/why-childrens-author-roald-dahl-was-pro-vaccine/ "undefined"). Dahl, who wrote classics including _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ and _Matilda_, penned a letter in 1988, two years before he died, begging parents to not deny their children vaccinations “out of obstinacy or ignorance or fear.” Dahl [explained](http://roalddahl.com/roald-dahl/timeline/1960s/november-1962 "undefined"): --- > “” --- Olivia, to whom _James and the Giant Peach_ and _The BFG_ were dedicated, died in 1962 — before there was a measles vaccine. More than two decades later, Dahl told British parents that their refusal to vaccinate their own children was “almost a crime” and called for mandatory immunization. Read the full letter on Roald Dahl’s website [here](http://roalddahl.com/roald-dahl/timeline/1960s/november-1962 "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3692439/roald-dahl-measles-letter/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3692439/roald-dahl-measles-letter/"},"headline":"Read Roald Dahl's Tear-Jerking Letter Urging Parents to Vaccinate Their Kids","datePublished":"2015-02-02T17:51:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:16:27.562Z","description":"Dahl's daughter died from the measles as a child","url":"https://time.com/3692439/roald-dahl-measles-letter/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral","Books","author"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5720089b77a2d2d/69877d2e3c1639058d4518a5/465280065.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Stampler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd5720089b77a2d2d/69877d2e3c1639058d4518a5/465280065.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Roald Dahl","caption":"Roald Dahl","creditText":"Ronald Dumont—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3692439/roald-dahl-measles-letter/","name":"Read Roald Dahl's Tear-Jerking Letter Urging Parents to Vaccinate Their Kids"}}]}] ```