Fantastic Mr. Fox

This early Roald Dahl adventure is great for reading aloud to three- to seven-year-olds, who will be delighted to hear that Mr. Fox keeps his family one step ahead of the obsessed farmers. When they try to dig him out, he digs faster; when they lay siege to his den, he tunnels to where the farmers least expect him--their own larders! In the end, Mr. Fox not only survives, but also helps the whole community of burrowing creatures live happily ever after. With his usual flourish, Dahl evokes a magical animal world that, as children, we always knew existed, had we only known where or how to look for it. (Great read aloud for any age; written at a 9- to 12-year-old reading level)

Product Description
Mr. Fox is surrounded, and he’s going to have to come up with a truly fantastic plan to dig himself out of trouble this time.

Roald Dahl's "Fantastic Mr. Fox" tells the story of how Mr. Fox and his family fend off an assault by farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Losing his tail to the farmers' bullets, Mr. Fox tries to wait out the farmers' vigil but Boggis, Bunce and Bean have other plans. They try to dig up the Fox family's den with steam shovels, forcing Fox and family ever farther underground. Derided by the townspeople for flattening a whole mountain just to catch a fox, the farmers decide to see who can last longer, them or Mr. Fox.

Mr. Fox, on the other hand, comes up with a brilliant way out, better left to be related by Dahl himself. Like any well-written children's story, "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is several notches above the average simplistic picture book but not so long that it can't be read in its entirety as a bedtime story. Since it's not dumbed down for young readers, it remains a favorite of adult readers as well.


Fantastic Mr. Fox   July 26, 2000
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

I recommend this book because it's funny. I liked the drawings by Roald Dahl because they are silly. Boggis, Bunce and Bean are three mean farmers trying to kill Mr. Fox because he keeps on taking their food. Mr. Fox out-smarts them by making them think he is one place when he is another. I especially liked when Mr. Fox and his friends had a feast because no one can hurt them, and I can't believe that the farmers are still waiting for Mr. Fox to come out. (They are probably skeletons and bones by now!) For anybody who didn't read this book, I think you should read it.


Dig this gem   September 25, 2006
Norliza Ismail (Seria, Kuala Belait Brunei Darussalam)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

This is one of those backyard gardens tales, featuring the ever so clever and resourceful Mr. Fox who frequently outsmarted three most unpleasant farmers, namely Boggis, Bunce and Bean, each time he went up to their farms to get his family dinner everyday. The farmes did whatever he coud so they could catch Mr. Fox but everytime they failed.

One day, they ended up fed up with their failures on catching Mr Fox, so they tried to get him at their entrance hole to the Foxes den. Their plan wa sto shoot and kill as Mr. Fox shows himself, but the plan changed to digging him up. In result, they trapped Mr. Fox and his family and other "diggers" starve by the farmers action. Mr Fox could only make this up to his family and the rest of his friends by digging his way out of trouble. While he digs out his brilliant plan, the thre farmers just sits patiently at the gates.

Once again, an awesome story for kids, not quite a morally uplifting book but it's an awesome book I enjoyed reading and I be placing this in the list of books I would be reading to my future kids for them to enjoy this gem. Got to love the front cover. Interesting characters and great plots for kids to actually enjoy.


Fantastic Mr. Dahl   February 17, 2004
T. Christensen (Hong Kong)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

This book has been my favorite ever since the first time that I read it. It tells the story of a fox who has to go out and get food from three farms that are nearby in order to feed his family, but there are three farmers, named Boggis, Bunce, and Bean, who don't like the fact that Mr. Fox is stealing from them and they band together to kill him. He then has to find ways to avoid the farmers and save his family at the same time. The book keeps little children hanging on every word and has an excellent ending that they'll love. The excitement makes it a great book to read to little brothers, sisters, or kids. I read it to my sister and she wouldn't let me stop till I had finished the entire book.

Roald Dahl makes some of the greatest children's books that are very imaginative and help develop a child's imagination. I would recommend that on top of this one, get some of Roald Dahl's other books.


fantastic   December 15, 2004
jackiiieeee (north carolina)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

In Roald Dahl's chapter book, Fantastic Mr. Fox, he tells a traditional story in which Fantastic Mr. Fox outsmarts three halfwit farmers. Like most foxes, Fantastic Mr. Fox is sharp and cunning. He lives near three farms that belong to very unpleasant farmers. The farmers are described as having nasty personalities, horrible eating habits, and disgusting features. Each night, Mr. Fox steals food from the farmers to feed his own family. The farmers are furious and band together to find Mr. Fox and 'string him up by his tail.' They find his hole and wait for him to come out so they can shoot him.
When Mr. Fox refuses to surrender, the angry men try to dig him out with shovels and then with farm equipment and bulldozers. Eventually, they take all the workers from their farms and scatter them over the hill in order to stand guard so that the foxes cannot escape. As the farmers wait, the Fox family is slowly starving. Mr. Fox gets a brilliant idea and soon he and all of the underground animals find a way to pull the biggest trick of all on the three nasty farmers. They get food for their families off of the farmers' own ignorance and the farmers continue to miserably wait for Mr. Fox to emerge from his hole.
This book is a classic example of Dahl's writing style. The adults are always mean and rotten, while the children and animals are smart and good. This book raises a number of questions that could make for a very interesting discussion. Mr. Fox feeds his family by stealing food from the farmers. Does that makes stealing ok just because the men he stole from were mean? The Badger brings up this important issue and Mr. Fox sweet talks himself out of trouble, but should stealing ever be considered ok?
This book has a good plot and inspires creativity and problem solving skills. The characters have strong personalities and are involved in hopeless yet humorous predicaments. Kids will laugh at the farmers' misfortunes, enjoy the unusual underground setting and cheer on Mr. Fox and his fantastic schemes. I love the way Roald Dahl gives his characters such unusual qualities. This book was an entertaining and enjoyable read.