Fantastic Mr. Fox (Young Puffin Read Alone)

A terrific tale of three mean and nasty farmers who decide to catch Mr Fox whatever it takes. The three vile villains are nasty but foolish, a combination that keeps them on the right side of scary for a more sensitive child.
And so they dig down and down, first with spades and then with mechanical diggers. The race is on.
And then, how on earth can the daring and resourceful Mr Fox sit out a siege and keep his family safe from starvation?
The clever and daring Mr Fox fights for survival with bravery and daring through secret passages and an underground world.
There's a magnificent finale, a great banquet, and my older children (5&7) love Mr Fox's inspired vision of a triumphant new way life for all the underground animals, while leaving the three mean farmers still waiting out in the rain.
With Quentin Blake's funny black and white illustrations on every page and many short chapters, the text is amusing and imaginatively descriptive as you'd expect from Mr Dahl. It also includes those little disgusting touches that children love such as "Bean's earholes were clogged with all kinds of muck and wax and bits of chewing-gum and dead flies and stuff like that."

This is one of my favourite Dahl stories: a short and snappy chapter book that can be read aloud in less than an hour and is guaranteed to hold the attention of a young listener from about age 5. It's fast paced, with enough excitement, danger and momentum to appeal from Key Stage 1 though children (and adults) who are considerably older will enjoy reading it to themselves. And with gun-toting farmers on the prowl and terrible tractors wrecking havoc on the hill, it's a particularly good story with which to entice reluctant boys.

If you are looking for more of Roald Dahl's magic for the younger age-group The Magic Finger, Esio Trot and The Twits next.

If you like the Robin Hood redistribution from rich and nasty farmers to the poor and worthy then you might also try the longer but every-bit-as-magnificent Danny Champion of the world.

Fantastic Mr Dahl! (0/0 people found this helpful)

I read this book to my 7-year-old nephew recently and he squealed with delight all the way through. The intention was to read a couple of chapters at a time, but at the end of each chapter he begged me to keep going, so we finished the book in one sitting! I've now bought The Twits, The Witches and Matilda to read to him next...

Fantastic book is Fantastc Mr. Fox (10/10 people found this helpful)

The story is about a fox named Mr. Fox. At night, he steals chickens, cider, and vegetables from three mean farmers (Bunce, Boggis, and Bean) in order to feed his family and all the underground families. The farmers are fed up with this, and try everything to kill him - even going to the lengths of using bulldozers to dig him out of his foxhole. One night they wait outside his house to kill him. When Mr. Fox comes out of the tunnel, they fire at him; the bullet hits his tail, severing it. They then try surrounding the hill he lives in with men armed with guns. After three days of starving, Mr. Fox and his children dig a tunnel to Boggis' number one chicken house, and steal some chickens. They also raid Bunce's storehouse and Bean's underground cellar of apple cider. Along the way they meet Badger and other animals who are also starving due to the farmers' siege of the hillside. Mr Fox, feeling responsible for the whole affair invites all the animals to a feast made from the loot and they all decide never to go above ground again. They decide to then make an underground town for only the animals.

A unique short Roald Dahl novella (3/3 people found this helpful)

Of all the shorter Roald Dahl stories, Fantastic Mr. Fox is the most heartwarming.

It may not have the wicked humour of The Twits or the wild, extravagant fantasy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but there is a heart and sincerity in this story that makes this a special book among the shorter Roald Dahl stories. Yet this story has a distinctly Dahl flavouring about it. Apart from being a tale of the unexpected, it offers us not just one but three revolting villains in the guise of Boggis, Bunce and Bean. I know that like most of Dahl's first few villains in his earlier books, these villains might not be as yucky as The Grand High Witch or the Twits, but their selfishness and nastiness are equally loathesome. Another thing about this story is in how Dahl develops the relationship between Mr. Fox and his family. Despite the loss of his tail, he demonstrates his boundless love of his family by resolutely helping everyone to fight for their own survival in the face of the three farmers.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is a beautifully written Dahl story that uses simple, yet picturesque language. It shows how the delicacy of the Beatrix Potter animal stories had a passing inflence on Dahl's anthropomorphic animal stories. However, there is something deeper in this story. Although Dahl had explored the relationship between Charlie and Grandpa Joe, this theme of relationships between a grown-up and an adult seems to mature in this book. This can be seen through the sincere, genuine love that Mr. Fox shows to his family, and how it gave everyone the strength to survive in the face of the adversity of the farmers. In this light this book ought to be an understated Dahl classic, and should also mark a turning-point in the course of his children's books.

In short, this is really a wonderful Dahl story, written with warmth, detail and humanism. I think it should count among the best of Dahl's early children's books.

Bravery overcomes bullies! (3/3 people found this helpful)

I carry this beautiful little book around with me, to read when I feel a bit low. It portrays a fine central character with tons of bravery and effort for those he loves. I would recommend it to anyone who feels bullied in this world.!

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Young Puffin Read Alone)

Roald Dahl

Reader Reviews:

Fantastic Mr Dahl! (0/0 people found this helpful)

Fantastic Mr Dahl! (0/0 people found this helpful)

Fantastic book is Fantastc Mr. Fox (10/10 people found this helpful)

A unique short Roald Dahl novella (3/3 people found this helpful)

Bravery overcomes bullies! (3/3 people found this helpful)

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