The BFG (short for The Big Friendly Giant) is a 1982 children's book written by Roald Dahl. It is an expansion of a short story from Dahl's 1975 book Danny, the Champion of the World. The book is dedicated to Dahl's late daughter, Olivia, who died of measles encephalitis at the age of seven in 1962. The novel has sold 37 million copies, with more than 1 million copies sold around the world every year.