Fantastic Mr. Fox Paperback – August 16, 2007

And I loved every moment of it! A children's tale such as this one will never get old.As an avid fan of the movie, this was my first time reading the book, and I have to say, I love it just a bit more than the film.I found delight as I turned each page, I smiled incredibly wide and laughed out loud at some of the descriptive scenes.I wanted so badly to have Kristofferson (Mrs. Fox's nephew) as a part of this book, but he's a movie-only character.That's the thing with movies adapted from books, you gain some extras and you lose some bits that are rather intriguing.This is very well-written, has a sensational plot, and every scene is vivid and captivating. I felt as though I was ten years old again.And that is a very good place in time to be.I am glad I decided to purchase the book. I was not disappointed; not in the least!

Ah, how I love Roald Dahl. I recently reread Boy and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, so I figured it was time to reread some more of his children's books, all of which I love. Fantastic Mr. Fox is a short, but really clever and entertaining book. It is the story of "Fantastic" Mr. Fox, and his ongoing battle against Boggis, Bunce, and Bean, three farmers who despise him because he always steals poultry from them. In Fantastic Mr. Fox, they are determined to dig him out and then wait him out. Mr. Fox also has a wife and four small children to protect.In many of Roald Dahl's books, it's about the children outwitting the grown-ups. In Fantastic Mr. Fox, we have instead a clever animal outwitting a bunch of stupid and mean adults. Fantastic Mr. Fox isn't my favorite Roald Dahl book (that honor would probably go to Matilda), but it's certainly a book that I love and enjoy.I probably reread this book in about ten or twenty minutes. It's short, and the font is really big. Plus, a lot of space is covered by some pretty good illustrations (by Quentin Blake). So this whimsical book is perfect for reading aloud or for just reading in a few minutes for some fun. It's not laugh-out-loud funny, but it's pretty entertaining.There was a movie made of it in 2009, and I saw some of it on a flight when it came out, but I don't think it did this amazing book justice. Fantastic Mr. Fox is just too short for a movie, so they had to add a whole bunch new things into the movie, and none of it has the sheer genius of Roald Dahl. To be fair, I haven't seen the movie in a while.

A social media timeline reminder brought back a joyful memory from 2010 of the golden days of parenting, when my then 10-year-old son's bedtime ritual involved mum and dad taking turns to sit beside his bed and read books aloud with him, putting on silly voices and acting out characters within the stories. Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox was one such book!What I liked most about Fantastic Mr Fox is not just that it’s a good story, but it’s a good story that’s meant to be read aloud. Every word is in the story is needed, you can’t just skim read the sentences and get the same effect. And every word read aloud “feels” good in the mouth!Roald Dahl was a creative and brilliant writer and given he wrote many of his works for children, perhaps intended for them to be read aloud, by a parent or carer at bedtime, like I did for my son. We read several other of Dahl’s books, but none ever struck me as quite so poetically flowing and pleasing to the ear (and tongue) as Fantastic Mr Fox.I couldn't find my son's copy of Fantastic Mr Fox after the timeline reminder, so for old times sake, I purchased the Kindle version, and enjoyed reading it again. I recommend you do the same. Perhaps find a quiet place to read it aloud. Or, better still, read it to your child at bedtime.I think like me, you’ll find reading Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox aloud is fantastic!

Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl : 978-0425287842This hardcover edition is really quite nice: vibrant dust jacket colors with fun art on mid-weight, laminated paper.The story itself is crisply printed in red ink on smooth, nice qualtiy paper. The book itself is, overall, delightful.The crisp red text -- printed on very smooth thick, ivory-ish colored paper -- is fun. The paper used in this book is smoother and thicker than the other Roald Dahl titles of the same edition and publisher (not sure why).Sadly, the shoddy binding leaves a bit to be desired (one part of the book that I received looks like it's about to rip apart) -- see photo.

Kids (6 & 8) liked the book

Trying to complete a chapter book with my 7-year-old is usually an uphill battle, but he loved this one! Not only is the story fast-paced with enough action to keep young ones wanting more, but there are also moments that require taking a step back and talking about lessons that can be learned from the text.My son, daughter and I engaged in a long conversation about whether stealing is ever okay. If it is okay to steal in order to provide food for one's family, and whether Mr. Fox should have ever began stealing in the first place. We talked about alternatives to stealing and also about survival. Does Mr. Badger give in too easily? Is he "outfoxed" by Mr. Fox?There's also a point when Mr. Fox calls one of his children a "twerp." My children discussed whether parents should call their children names, and how Mr. Fox could have handled the situation differently, especially when the young fox was being thoughtful to others.Finally, there was the lesson about destroying nature and the effects on the ecological system.A great story with great lessons. This is a keeper in our home.