Fantastic Mr Fox - Roald Dahl
First published in 1970.
When Elise and I read Matilda earlier this year, I found out that there were a lot of Roald Dahl stories that Elise had never been exposed to. Later in the year we watched the movie Isle of Dogs, directed and written by Wes Anderson - a very odd little movie - and I talked about Wes Anderson having also done a version of Fantastic Mr Fox. So, leading up to eventually watching that film, Elise and I took two days (and three periods of reading) to get through this little book.
Far more than even Matilda, Fantastic Mr Fox is a children's book: it is 82 pages long, many with large drawings, the chapters are short, and the story surprisingly simple (even more so than I remembered). Mr Fox, his wife and their four children (the 'four little foxes') live in a burrow under a tree on the hill, from whence Mr Fox ventures forth to raid the farms of the villainous farmers, Boggis, Bunce and Bean. The three farmers get tired of losing crops to Mr Fox's raids, so team up to try and kill the thief. When the fox family are trapped in their burrow by the farmers, Mr Fox must think of a way to save his family and the rest of the animals of the hill.
Re-reading this as an adult, I'm not sure what the moral is supposed to be. Mr Fox, the hero, is openly thieving from the farmers, and although at one point he justifies himself to his friend, Badger, as stealing from people who want to kill him, I can't help but be aware that the reason they want to kill him is because he is a thief. However, Roald Dahl stories are known for being a little odd and a little dark, so in that sense this works fine.
Very straightforward, but fun enough. And definitely aimed at kids, as long as you are happy to answer the questions it may bring up.
Completed, with Elise, 7 July 2022.
(Elise Books)
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