Sunday, January 30, 2011

Fantastic Mr. Fox / Roald Dahl / 81 pp.

I loved Roald Dahl growing up and still regularly read his books. I had actually never read Fantastic Mr. Fox before now, but it did not disappoint. And of course, if you read any Dahl book, you have to read an edition with illustrations by Quentin Blake. For those unfamiliar with Dahl, he is best known for James in the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Matilda.

Dahl has vivid writing and quirky/dark humor in his children’s books. Some examples are his headmistress who throws little girls with pigtails over fences, or his story where witches are plotting to turn every little kid in the world into a mouse, or his enormous giants who gallop to their favorite country at night to eat people - all delivered with humor. Yes, one must have a sense of humor to enjoy Dahl.

In Fantastic Mr. Fox, three farmers join forces to kill a fox that has been stealing from them, but at the end, the Fox is the victor with a feast of chicken, turkey, ducks, geese, and cider. It is a very quick read ,full of illustrations and child-sized font.

Amazon, DBRL, MOBIUS

No comments:

Post a Comment