Fantastic Mr. Fox

True confessions: this was my first ever Ronald Dahl book to read.

Equally true confessions: I can't imagine that I'll be feeling hard pressed to read any additional titles (although some I'm curious about from a cultural standpoint.)

I was browsing Borders bookstore with my boys one day and thought I'd try to find a short chapter book that Bookworm1 and I could enjoy together. I decided on Fantastic Mr. Fox because a.) I had never read Dahl before and b.) I knew there was a movie out and Jonathan had suggested we watch it. Naturally, I had to read the book first. (Actually, that's not really "naturally." I don't always read the book first. But it's nice when it happens.)

Bookworm1 and I launched into this particular book and, I have to say, he stayed tuned through the whole story. He followed along. He knew the characters. He enjoyed the story. It's fun to say "Boggis, Bunce and Bean" really fast. Mr. Fox and his family of foxes were intriguing. For those of you unfamiliar with the story- it is about a fox (and a fantastic one at that, of course!) who steals food for his family from farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean. The three gentlemen are sick of having this fox nab their goods and set out to catch him. However, Mr. Fox is a sly one and the farmers never receive the satisfaction of capturing their arch nemesis. The story is a quick read at only eighty-one pages long.

I wouldn't have minded the book so much, honestly, if Dahl hadn't used words like "stupid" and "dumb" which - eh. Maybe you wouldn't be as picky as me. I don't like my three year old using such vocabulary. It's not something I'm going to introduce - and certainly not words we will make a habit out of using in our home - so I just changed the words as I read it aloud.

I was glad to read this book aloud to Bookworm1. It was a fun experience. I could change the language to suit us. I just wouldn't read them for personal pleasure and if I were choosing a read-aloud, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to purchase another Dahl book. Not to say it won't happen, just sayin' he's not my first pick.

After reading the book we watched the movie as a family. And after watching the movie as a family, we wondered why we had chosen to do so. The hands-down best part of the movie is that it's animated with stop-motion animation. I thought it looked visually appealing and enjoyed the movie for that aspect alone. (I'm awed by the crazy amount of work and patience such a full-length film would take!!!) Jonathan didn't like it quite so much. Bookworm1 didn't seem to notice.

George Clooney gives Mr. Fox his voice and I confess to not really caring for the Fox much as a result. I could only hear Clooney's voice and had this picture of Oceans Eleven in my head. I'd have preferred a lesser known to give the Fox his character so that I could have engaged with Dahl's story a bit more. Not to say that there was a whole lot to engage with, as the screen writers had a hayday in presenting, in some respects, a brand new story to the screen audience.

The thing I objected to the most in the film is that Mr. and Mrs. Fox only have one son who is "different" and whom they have relational struggles with. Mr. Fox is drawn more to his masculine and sports-star nephew who has come to live with the family for a time. In the book, the family was a much tighter unit and you didn't have to deal with teenage angst. (Frankly, I like to avoid teenage angst as much as possible in books and movies both. Oh, and in real life also!)

In short, we give a thumbs down to the film (but I did like the stop-action) and a hand wiggle to the book for a memorable reading experience.

Not a loss, but not a lot to say here either (obviously.) A big, "whatever" is more like it.