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Fantastic Mr. Fox
- By Roald Dahl
- Genre: Animals
Common Sense Media says
Dahl's satisfying Robin Hood tale.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the lessons are a little twisty here, and guns are used, resulting in Mr. Fox losing his tail.
What's the story?
Mr. Fox is in the habit of stealing food for himself and his family from three nearby farmers: chickens from Boggis, ducks and geese from Bunce, and turkeys from Bean. But "all three of them were about as nasty and mean as any men you could meet." Resenting Mr. Fox's thefts, they join forces to kill him.
First they lie in wait outside his den and manage to wound him. Then they begin digging to catch him and his family, first with shovels, and then with machines. Finally they decide to starve him out. But that's when Mr. Fox gets a brilliant idea.
Is it any good?
Roald Dahl has more than his share of classics of 20th-century children's literature. In between his greater works, he tossed off many lesser books, and this is one of those. It's humorous and satisfying, in a straightforward sort of way -- none of Dahl's characteristic wicked cleverness is here. It's good for younger and reluctant readers, or when you're looking for a quick, fun read-aloud.
While this is a very slight story -- clever fox outwits mean farmers -- it provides lots to talk about. Why shouldn't the farmers try to kill the fox who is killing their animals? Is this some British class-consciousness, or does Dahl revel in junior-league subversiveness and messing with parents? Kids won't care -- they'll just love the story, and root for their stand-in, Mr. Fox, to defeat all those mean adults who don't want him to have what he wants.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what the morals of this story are supposed to be. Why is it good for Mr. Fox to kill chickens, but bad for the farmers to want to kill him? Why is it good for Mr. Fox to steal their chickens, and bad for them to want to stop him? Do you agree with all this?
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AGE
A must-read book
Wonderful! Kids in K-3rd grade will love this.
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AGE
It's a good book because it's about this fox and people...
Great Book!
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Kid, 10 years old
August 24, 2009
AGE
fantastic mr fox
hi
I think this book is quite intresting
I read it all the way through it was quite a lot of page's in that book
my favirate charchter was fantastic mr fox we read it all out loud at school it took nealy 7 weeks to read all of that.I think rahl dahl is a good writer the best book is charlie and the choclate factory weve watched them both.
kind regards
harli
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AGE
good
i've loved this book when i was five great book
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AGE
Another charming tale from the mind of Roald Dahl...
After watching the movie, I just had to check out the book. I went to the library and got it. It's actually pretty good and I managed to finish it in one night. The story is not too complicated to follow, which makes it easily understandable for littler kids. You can probably finish it in under an hour.
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AGE
OMG
R.D's books are hilarious! You will have to lol! I lol when I read through this entire book. I think the character was da bext~ R.D ROX!! Read it out loud 1 time for your family, 1 time for your bff and another for your poodle. You will LOL... OMG you should read the rest of his books too...
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AGE
Perfect
This book is a very good short book it teaches you a lesson but puts it into a wonderful wonderful story
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Kid, 10 years old
September 23, 2010
AGE
Funny and Creative Talking Fox
This was funny; it was a creative story with talking animals. Mr. Fox was a fun character to read about, since he was so clever, and the small foxes were funny.
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Kid, 12 years old
December 27, 2011
AGE
works as titled...it's fantastic!
One of the best Roald Dahl creations, mixing intriguing role modeling with a quirky, whimsical adventure that's just ORDINARY for Dahl's smash hit imagination.
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| Author: | Roald Dahl |
| Illustrator: | Quentin Blake |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Animals |
| Publisher: | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Publication date: | August 16, 2007 |
| Number of pages: | 81 |
| Hardcover price: | $15.95 |
| Paperback price: | $5.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 8 - 12 |
| Read aloud: | 6 |
| Read alone: | 8 |
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