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Fantastic Mr FoxRoald Dahl
Fantastic Mr Fox
by Roald Dahl
Three unpleasant farmers set out to dig a thieving fox out of his hole. He tunnels deeper instead, and organises the other starving animals into a raid on the farms above.
A story about animals and a grown-up villain, funny and adventurous in tone. We would put it with children of 6–8, and at a reading age of about 8 for reading alone.
Worth knowing before you buy
- Mild peril
None of this makes it a bad book — often the opposite. It is here so you can decide whether it is right for your child now or in a year or two.
Our take on this book
Three horrible farmers — fat Boggis, squat Bunce and lean Bean — are determined to dig the thieving Mr Fox out of his hole and shoot him, so he digs deeper instead, and organises the other half-starved underground animals into a magnificent raid on the farmers' own storehouses. Roald Dahl tells it lean and fast, and it is one of his most purely satisfying stories: the villains are grotesque, Mr Fox is clever and generous, and the underdog's victory over three brutes is deeply pleasing to a child. There is mild peril — the farmers have guns and one takes off the tip of Fox's tail — but the tone is comic and the animals triumph gloriously. For a six- to eight-year-old it is a short, punchy, wickedly funny read, ideal as a first proper Dahl novel or a shared read-aloud, and its message that cleverness and cooperation beat brute force lands without ever slowing down the fun.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
The Enormous CrocodileRoald Dahl
The TwitsRoald Dahl
James and the Giant PeachRoald Dahl
The Magic FingerRoald Dahl
GrimwoodNadia Shireen
Or let them write their own.
Nothing gets a child reading like a story they invented themselves. Your child plans the characters and the plot, and we write, illustrate and print it as a real book with their name on the cover as the author.
Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.