Parents' Guide to

Fantastic Mr. Fox

By Barbara Schultz, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Clever animals outwit farmers in funny, fantastical tale.

Book Roald Dahl Animals 1970
Fantastic Mr. Fox Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 7+

Based on 6 parent reviews

Accurate P.
Accurate P. Parent of 15-year-old
August 16, 2022
age 10+
Rated 8

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
DFBray
DFBray Adult
December 10, 2021
age 5+

Fantastic Mr Fox

We loved this book because it has a lot of adventure with animals in it. We really enjoyed when Mr Fox was clever enough to tunnel into the chicken houses and get some food. Mr Fox is funny, clever and truly fantastic! The other animal characters are all diggers who come along for the truly amazing ride. The villains are vile, mean, blighters and cruel and we enjoyed the fact they didn't get what they wanted. They show how important it is to eat healthily!! We would recommend this book to anyone who likes animals and adventures, no matter how old you are. 5-100+ Year 4, Ditchingham Primary Academy, UK

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In Roald Dahl's funny and witty FANTASTIC MR. FOX, the title character is a brave and clever hero, who steals food from three bumbling and rude farmers to feed his family. Tired of having their goods stolen, Boggis the chicken farmer, Bunce the duck and goose farmer, and Bean the turkey and apple farmer join forces to find and kill Mr. Fox. They discover the opening to the fox family's den, and when Mr. Fox scampers down the hole, they manage to shoot off Mr. Fox's tale. With the farmers waiting outside the hole, and digging deeper to reach Mr. Fox, the foxes also keep digging, hoping to find a passage to safety.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (19 ):

This animal adventure by beloved author Roald Dahl is short and sweet, featuring mean bumbling villains (farmers Boggis, Bunce, and Bean) and a dashing hero in Mr. Fox. The story will charm readers with its devoted families of furry animals and a subterranean world full of other interesting creatures. There's also just enough suspense to make the story exciting. Young readers will root for the fox family and laugh at the farmers' lame moves. A bonus: Some editions of this short novel are packaged with more Dahl animal tales.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Roald Dahl portrays the animals in Fantastic Mr. Fox. Are Mr. Fox and his friends similar to the animals in his other books?

  • The foxes sit at a table to eat. Can you think of some other things the animals do in this story that are more like what people do?

  • Have you seen the movie version of Fantastic Mr. Fox? If so, how is the movie different from the book, and which do you like better?

Book Details

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