Fantastic Mr. Fox is on the run! The three meanest farmers around are out to get him. Fat Boggis, squat Bunce, and skinny Bean have joined forces, and they have Mr. Fox and his family surrounded. What they don’t know is that they’re not dealing with just any fox–Mr. Fox would never surrender. But only the most fantastic plan ever can save him now.
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer and screenwriter of Norwegian descent, who rose to prominence in the 1940's with works for both children and adults, and became one of the world's bestselling authors.
Dahl's first published work, inspired by a meeting with C. S. Forester, was Shot Down Over Libya. Today the story is published as A Piece of Cake. The story, about his wartime adventures, was bought by the Saturday Evening Post for $900, and propelled him into a career as a writer. Its title was inspired by a highly inaccurate and sensationalized article about the crash that blinded him, which claimed he had been shot down instead of simply having to land because of low fuel.
His first children's book was The Gremlins, about mischievous little creatures that were part of RAF folklore. The book was commissioned by Walt Disney for a film that was never made, and published in 1943. Dahl went on to create some of the best-loved children's stories of the 20th century, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and James and the Giant Peach.
He also had a successful parallel career as the writer of macabre adult short stories, usually with a dark sense of humour and a surprise ending. Many were originally written for American magazines such as Ladies Home Journal, Harper's, Playboy and The New Yorker, then subsequently collected by Dahl into anthologies, gaining world-wide acclaim. Dahl wrote more than 60 short stories and they have appeared in numerous collections, some only being published in book form after his death. His stories also brought him three Edgar Awards: in 1954, for the collection Someone Like You; in 1959, for the story "The Landlady"; and in 1980, for the episode of Tales of the Unexpected based on "Skin".
Roald Dahl at his most delightful (with that hint of twisted humour that he does so well). This was the book that started my love of apple cider, though it was a good decade after my first read that I actually got to taste any.
If you ever need a boost of serotonin, especially in the fall, this book is literally screaming at you to read it.
Plus then you unlock the ability to watch the Wes Anderson film version (because everyone knows you're not legally allowed to watch movies until you read the book), and that's just even more serotonin for you.
Small children would say that no, stealing is wrong. As they get a bit older, books such as Fantastic Mr. Fox will teach them that the world is not quite so black and white, and that yes, it's all right to steal if you're starving, and if the person you're stealing from obviously can afford it and is also really mean.
Grown-ups will (or at least should) understand that it's rather more complicated than even this. But for the time being this lesson is adequate: enough for a child to understand without bogging it down even more. Hopefully no child reading this actually has to put the lesson to practice, though...
I watched the movie yesterday, which led to me picking up the book as well to see whether it would hold up. And it's all right, turns out, though not among Roald Dahl's best: I don't think the narrative or the ingrained lessons are quite as easily enjoyable for adults as they are for kids, while the movie can be watched and loved by everyone. Unless cussing bothers you.
A Classic Children's Book, Illustrated in Color! Years ago, I came across a special version of the Roald Dahl books, illustrated in Color, and I bought like three of them. They were limited edition and hard to find. I found two of them in an airport bookstore, and the third in a local bookstore. Just finished it with the Curly haired monster. I had never read this one, and I enjoyed it. Just loved the illustrations, so I was happy for the classic/illustrated challenge that allowed me to get to this for the little guy. It was great fun.
Fantastic Mr. Fox is an amazing book for children. Even I, myself, loved Mr. Fox. He is soo clever and determined.
Mr. Fox steels food from three farms own by nasty owners. He steels to keep his family alive. But one day the owners finally decide to kill him once and for all. But Mr. Fox is too clever for them. His optimism is amazing. I love optimistic characters. I didn't wanna read it. Had to read it for my younger cousin's school work. Now I am happy that I read it. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Especially children.