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Three farmers, each one meaner than the other, try all-out warfare to get rid of the fox and his family.
Roald Dahl (1916-1990) was born in Wales of Norwegian parents. He spent his childhood in England and, at age eighteen, went to work for the Shell Oil Company in Africa. When World War II broke out, he joined the Royal Air Force and became a fighter pilot. At the age of twenty-six he moved to Washington, D.C., and it was there he began to write. His first short story, which recounted his adventures in the war, was bought by The Saturday Evening Post, and so began a long and illustrious career.
After establishing himself as a writer for adults, Roald Dahl began writing children’s stories in 1960 while living in England with his family. His first stories were written as entertainment for his own children, to whom many of his books are dedicated.
Roald Dahl is now considered one of the most beloved storytellers of our time. Although he passed away in 1990, his popularity continues to increase as his fantastic novels, including James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The BFG, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, delight an ever-growing legion of fans.
Learn more about Roald Dahl on the official Roald Dahl Web site: www.roalddahl.com
Quentin Blake is a well-known artist whose work has made him popular on both sides of the Atlantic. He has illustrated most of Roald Dahl’s children’s books as well as many others. He lives in London, where he teaches illustration at the Royal College of Art.
Dahl may have been an unenthusiastic student, but he loved adventure stories, and when he finished school he went out into the world to have some adventures of his own. He went abroad as a representative of the Shell corporation in Dar-es-Salaam, and then served in World War II as a pilot in the Royal Air Force. After the war, Dahl began his writing career in earnest, publishing two well-received collections of short stories for adults, along with one flop of a novel.
The short stories, full of tension and subtle psychological horror, didn't seem to presage a children's author. Malcolm Bradbury wrote in The New York Times Book Review, "[Dahl's] characters are usually ignoble: he knows the dog beneath the skin, or works hard to find it." Yet this talent for finding, and exposing, the nastier sides of grown-up behavior served him well in writing for children. As Dahl put it, "Writing is all propaganda, in a sense. You can get at greediness and selfishness by making them look ridiculous. The greatest attribute of a human being is kindness, and all the other qualities like bravery and perseverance are secondary to that."
In 1953, Dahl married the actress Patricia Neal; two of his early children's books, James and the Giant Peach (1961) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) grew out of the bedtime stories he made up for their children. Elaine Moss, writing in the Times, called the latter "the funniest children's book I have read in years; not just funny but shot through with a zany pathos which touches the young heart." Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a colossal hit. A film version starring Gene Wilder was released in 1971 (as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory), while James and the Giant Peach was made into a movie in 1996.
Dahl followed his initial successes with a string of bestsellers, including Danny, the Champion of the World, The Twits, The BFG, The Witches and Matilda. Some adults objected to the books' violence -- unpleasant characters (like James’s Aunts Sponge and Spiker) tend to get bumped off in grotesque and inventive ways -- but Dahl defended his stories as part of a tradition of gruesome fairy tales in which mean people get what they deserve. "These tales are pretty rough, but the violence is confined to a magical time and place," he said, adding that children like violent stories as long as they're "tied to fantasy and humor." By the time of his death in 1990, Dahl's mischievous wit had captivated so many readers that The Times called him "one of the most widely read and influential writers of our generation."
Dahl's first book for children, The Gremlins (1943), was a story about the mythical creatures that sabotaged British planes. (Dahl claimed for most of his life that he had coined the term "gremlins," but it had been in use by members of the Royal Air Force for years.) Walt Disney planned to use it as the basis for a movie, but the project was scrapped, and only 5,000 copies of the book were ever printed.
Anonymous
Posted June 21, 2010
My first grade teacher Mrs. Deshpande recommended this book to me and I LOVED it. I watched the movie but I prefer reading the book better.
Elizabeth Shay
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 8, 2010
Got the book for a book report my son had to do. Enjoyed reading it with him. We got thru it in 3 days! I was really pleased with that. My son (an Aspie) was quick to point out that he did not agree with the fox stealing the food, and he did wonder why the people who owned the "hill" weren't coming out with the police to arrest the 3 farmers for tearing up their land. LOL However, that said, he now wants to see the movie! Book was alot of fun and inspired really good coversation with my son.
6 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Paulntraci
Posted February 15, 2010
I really liked the story. I thought it was funny and that it would be a good book to share with friends. I would like to read more like it. I think that people who read it would learn a lesson even if they are not the one who did it. I do love reading and this book is one of my top 15, that I have ever read, and I am ten years old, and in a few months I will be eleven. It is fast and easy to read, and I think that little kids and big all over the world would love this book. And if not they are CRAZY, because I LOVED it. Thank you for selling this fun book. I will get more books like this one and I will hope to be getting much more books that I will like. REALLY GOOD WORK!!! AND KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Dahl is my kind of author. I remember when I first encountered his quirky, adult sensibility in books written for children. It seemed as though he was one the few who treated children as little adults. I really liked that and became a fan for life. In this little fable, Dahl is early precursor to the Shrek inventors--adults get as many laughs as the kids, maybe more. Celebrate Mr. Fox and Roald Dahl once again this year and share this with your entire family!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 14, 2012
Best Book Ever and Best Comedy of the Century
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.CorsitheHorsi
Posted March 24, 2010
Fantastic Mr. Fox is a story about a Fantastic fox and his wife and four children and the three farmers Boggis, Bunce ,and Bean. Tey're so evil when the children see them they sing a song that goes like this:
Boggis,Bunce,and Bean
One fat,one plump,one lean
But nothingless equally mean
Mr. Fox has to go to their farms and steal their food so his family can eat.The farmers find out and Bean has a plan to shoot the fox but he missed him and got his tail so Mr. Fox has no tail. Next Bean tries to dig out the foxes with the with machines. They escape. Then he tries digging holes out of where Mr. Fox lives with machines. They ut dig them again! There's a problem though,the foxes are starving. Mr. Fox knows where the farms are from underground and digs right to Boggis's Chicken House Number 1. After Mr. Fox sas they must have a feast.On the way to Bunce's storehouse they run into Mr. Badger ad find out thir are more animals starving.Then he said "Now we most really have a feast".And Mr. Fox and his four small foxes and Mr. badger head out for Bean's secret cider cellar, their last stop,when they come back to their hole every animal was waiting for the feat and at the feast Mrs. Fox said:"I HAVE A FANTASTIC MR. FOX!" Next Mr. Fox announces that he would like everybody to stay underground because they didn't need to get food aboveround anymore because they have underground tunnels to the farms. And as of now the three farmers have been waiting. Waiting for forty years.
2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 14, 2013
I grew up reading this book over and over again and to this day it is still my favorite book and I would recommend it to anyone.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 31, 2012
Just love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 15, 2012
This book is a very well written book and i think that it deserves teo very good authors to write a very well written book!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.As with the other Dahl books I've read, this one is full of great writing and fun artwork. The kids made sure to remind me to show them the pictures on every page while I was reading and they really got after me if I forgot.
The characters were lovable and humorous. I loved the matter-of-fact nature of Mr. Fox as he works through the numerous problems that come his way. I really enjoyed the caricature-like portrayal of each of the three farmers that Mr. Fox must outfox. The other members of the fox family are great and I enjoyed the other animals we get to know as well.
The story itself is fairly simplistic and rolled out like an old animal fable from Aesop or others. As such, I think I expected it to take more of a moral high ground. At the same time, knowing it was Dahl, I should have expected the tongue-in-cheek nature that I found.
As the foxes were cornered in their burrow and desperately worked to escape, I enjoyed the dialogue between the family. It was well portrayed and felt fairly realistic. Once they finally had a semblance of safety, it was fun to watch Mr. Fox take charge and go forward with a new plan.
The main detractors for me took place in the last ~third of the book.
First, there is a point where Badger and Fox are talking about the morality of their actions.of stealing food from the farmers. The discussion was framed rather strangely especially considering the general nature of wildlife surrounding farms. While the discussion ended up concluding '<i>well-enough</i>', I really would have preferred either a bit more elaboration from Fox, a bit more debate from Badger, or a general removal of this morality sequence.
Second, when Mr. Fox, his young Fox, and Mr. Badger end up in the cider house, it's pointed out that the cider is indeed alcoholic. Furthermore, all of the animals there (including the child) take a pull off the cider and revel in the wonderfulness of it. Later the cider is taken back home for a feast and there is more joy in its consumption. The alcoholic nature isn't played up exceedingly and I honestly don't think my kids picked up on it (or if they did, they didn't make a point of it)
Third, although we are to believe and understand the carnal nature of these carnivorous animals living among farmers.there is also the strange juxtaposition of a family of rabbits attending the feast. If the food supply was in danger, I can't imagine the rabbits surviving for the number of days that they did. This just felt like a strange inconsistency.
In the end, this was a very cute book with a fun cute little story and was an entertaining read. While it read like a Fable, I'm not exactly sure which direction we should look to find a clear moral. Obviously we are intended to relate with Mr. Fox and the other animals. The farmers are presented as particularly odious, vengeful and despicable. At the same time, we have the morality conversation between Badger and Fox that isn't clearly resolved and leaves question as to the morality of Fox's actions.which then presents some justification for the actions of the farmers.
On the plus side, this book is definitely geared towards young readers and as such I'm certainly overthinking the need for a moral. The kids enjoyed the story and saw Fox's victory over the farmers as inspiring and funny.
Which is just as it should be.
****
3.5 out of 5 stars
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.luv2readNG
Posted October 29, 2009
I Also Recommend:
I'm reading this book in my library class & it's very exciting. I want to hear more & more but class always ends too soon. I would recommend this book for kids 7-10 years old. It's both exciting & funny.
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 19, 2013
This is a hood book but it does not have enough pages
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 28, 2013
Me kill you
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 25, 2013
"You have a deal. Serpentclan will form an alliance with you." *Stormstar pads out* ~Stormstar
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 28, 2013
No thuo shale not. Fire said. (Is full name is Fire Of God just call him Fire.)
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Posted March 29, 2013
Who are you and ehere can i find you? Leave a description.
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Posted February 24, 2013
I read this book in 4th grade and loved it! Its got some humor here and there, and it will DEFINITLY keep you on the edge of your seat!
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Posted February 11, 2013
This is soooooooooooooo and suuuuuuuucccchhhh a good book!!!!!!!!!!! So there is 3 farmers and 1 bossy rat!!!!!!!!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 10, 2013
Bad and boring where did dahl go?
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 2, 2013
I loved the movie soooooo much. It was pretty cool!
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Overview
Three farmers, each one meaner than the other, try all-out warfare to get rid of the fox and his family.