Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fantastic Mr. Fox
Roald Dahl
Knopf, 1970  81 pages
Grades 2-5
Fantasy/Humor

Poor Mr. Fox! Tired of constantly having their poultry pinched, buffoonish farmers Boggis, Bunce, and Bean ban together to catch the culprit. They are armed with shovels, diggers, and shotguns to ferret the fox out of his hole and eliminate him. How is this misunderstood mammal to feed his family? Luckily Mr. Fox is as crafty as his reputation boasts. He puts his family to work digging a deeper tunnel, eventually branching out to discover the store houses of the clueless farmers who are camped outside his hole. Mr. Fox discovers other underground friends who are also being starved out by the angry farmers. They join Mr. Fox in his digging and rejoice as they hit the "mother-lode". The animals gather together for a feast and fellowship, deciding that they never again need to leave the security and comfort of the underground. Mrs. Fox has always declare Mr. Fox fantastic...and now the other animals agree as he has become the celebrated hero among the forest friends.

At least once a year I try to re-read at least one Roald Dahl book. For my money, which is admittingly limited, he is the most brilliant writer for young people in the English language. The Fantastic Mr. Fox is short on pages, but long on cleverness. The length of the book is deceiving. Even though it is short and illustrated, the vocabulary is rich and demanding of the reader. The comic-like drawings, contributed by the talented Quentin Blake, help to advance the plot and add to the humor of the situation. His depiction of the farmers alone is worth cracking into this volume. Beyond the hilarity, Dahl adds an environmental message about respecting the land and wildlife, adding an extra layer to the tale. A classic story of the underdog outwitting the greedy landowners, readers will be rooting for Mr. Fox all the way and applaud his creative outsmarting of "The Man".  Quick on his feet, never ruffled, and consistently cheerful Mr. Fox is, indeed, fantastic. Young readers will be smarter and funnier for their time spent with this Roald Dahl classic.