In this exceptional 1944 psychological drama by Roald Dahl, after suffering a severe leg injury from an enemy shell while flying his Spitfire over the English Channel, RAF Squadron Leader Peter Williamson realizes he is losing consciousness and flips the fighter over, parachuting as his senses slowly but surely cease to function.

When he awakens, he seems to be in a seashore Brighton hospital, cared for by a kindly nurse and an attentive doctor. But he becomes aware, bit by bit, of evidence that reveals his true situation: he is in German occupied Vichy France, which he confirms after struggling to read a sign posted in front of a nearby home through the room's window.

Amazon.com Review

In the tradition of The Adventures of Peter Rabbit, this is a "garden tale" of farmer versus vermin, or vice versa. The farmers in this case are a vaguely criminal team of three stooges: "Boggis and Bunce and Bean / One fat, one short, one lean. / These horrible crooks / So different in looks / Were nonetheless equally mean." Whatever their prowess as poultry farmers, within these pages their sole objective is the extermination of our hero--the noble, the clever, the Fantastic Mr. Fox. Our loyalties are defined from the start; after all, how could you cheer for a man named Bunce who eats his doughnuts stuffed with mashed goose livers? As one might expect, the farmers in this story come out smelling like ... well, what farmers occasionally do smell like.

This early Roald Dahl adventure is great for reading aloud to three- to seven-year-olds, who will be delighted to hear that Mr. Fox keeps his family one step ahead of the obsessed farmers. When they try to dig him out, he digs faster; when they lay siege to his den, he tunnels to where the farmers least expect him--their own larders! In the end, Mr. Fox not only survives, but also helps the whole community of burrowing creatures live happily ever after. With his usual flourish, Dahl evokes a magical animal world that, as children, we always knew existed, had we only known where or how to look for it. (Great read aloud for any age; written at a 9- to 12-year-old reading level)

Review

• The audio titles read by Roald Dahl himself have been solid backlist titles for over a decade now. Of historical archive interest, as well as being modern classics in their own right, these should provide a real audio backlist boost. * Roald Dahl and Collins brand strengthened via vibrant new look for the twenty-first century. * Narrated by Roald Dahl, who tells his own stories in his own inimitable way. * Five titles available. * Unabridged.

From Publishers Weekly

Knopf includes George's Marvelous Medicine and Fantastic Mr. Fox in its roster of handsomely redesigned hardcover Roald Dahl reissues. In the first novel, George comes up with a potion to improve the mood of his grumpy grandma; the second centers on the efforts of farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean to catch the titular thief. Both feature Quentin Blake's original illustrations and include an interview with the author. (June)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-Richard E. Grant performs this reading of Roald Dahl's tale (Puffin, pap. 1998) with an appropriately British accent. Fully-voiced, the production is expressive and pleasing, making a great story an even better read-aloud. As George seeks a cure for his grandmother's grumpiness, his creative elixir produces surprising results. Listeners will appreciate the humor, suspense, and resolution in this silly plot so typical of Dahl's writing. Appropriate for listening centers, reading classes, literature studies and general circulation, the length and reading level of this title will be appreciated by those who work with reluctant readers. Consider this purchase essential for libraries with audio collections.
Kirsten Martindale, Buford Academy, GA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

This spring, two Roald Dahl classics reappear in collector's editions. In Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes, illus. in full color by Quentin Blake, originally published in 1982, the author puts his distinctive satirical spin on six traditional tales including "Snow White" ("From now on, Queen, you're Number Two. Snow White is prettier than you!" says the Magic Mirror) and "The Three Little Pigs." Danny the Champion of the World, originally published in 1975, also illus. with pen-and-ink drawings by Blake, tells the story of a nine-year-old boy learning the art of poaching at his beloved father's knee (the BFG also makes an appearance here). Both volumes close with an interview given by the author in 1988, two years before his death.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

Verses featuring mayhem, greed, betrayals and murder, from two gifted collaborators. ("Publishers Weekly") A sophisticated spoof. ("The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books")

Amazon.com Review

This Roald Dahl classic tells the scary, funny and imaginative tale of a seven-year-old boy who has a run-in with some real-life witches! "In fairy tales witches always wear silly black hats and black cloaks and they ride on broomsticks. But this is not a fairy tale. This is about REAL WITCHES. REAL WITCHES dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses and they work in ordinary jobs. That is why they are so hard to catch." Witches, as our hero learns, hate children. With the help of a friend and his somewhat-magical grandmother, our hero tries to expose the witches before they dispose of him. Ages 7-12.

Review

"An orphan boy...discovers the true nature of witches and then has the misfortune to be transformed into a mouse by The Grand High Witch of All the World...A curious but honest tale which deals with matters of crucial importance to children: smallness, the existence of evil in the world, mourning, separation, death." --The New York Times Book Review

Review

"Few modern writers have attracted such an appreciative audience among adults and children as Dahl. . . . All the tales are entrancing inventions." — Publishers Weekly

From the Inside Flap

If you could see with your eyes closed, how would you use your power? That?s what Henry has to decide in "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,"one of the seven stories in this extra-ordinary collection. In addition to imaginative and magical tales, this book also contains the true story of how Roald Dahl became a writer, as well as a copy of the very first nonfiction story he wrote for The Saturday Evening Post. Packed with wit and adventure, the collection is a clever mix of fantasy and reality ? and a stunning showcase of Dahl?s prose.

Es ist zum Verzweifeln. Dem schwedischen Ermittlerteam Paul Hjelm und Kerstin Holm bietet sich ein chaotisches Bild: Zum Zeitpunkt der Tat wurde die Szenekneipe Kvarnen offensichtlich von einer regelrechten Schar multikultureller Wahnsinniger bevölkert. Schnöselige Yuppies, einander spinnefeinde Fantrupps zweier Fußballteams, Schwule zwischen Damenkränzchen, sinistre Jugoslawen und mittendrin Per Karlsson, ein seltsamer junger Intellektueller, der, als es passierte, seelenruhig Ovids Metamorphosen las. Die ohnehin aufgeladene Atmosphäre in der brodelnden und vollen Kneipe begann zu kippen, bis in einer Massenschlägerei einem Fan mit einem Bierseidel der Schädel zertrümmert wurde. Nun will keiner etwas gesehen haben. Wie gesagt, es ist zum Verzweifeln!

Eigentlich kleine Fische für die Top-Ermittler der ehemaligen A-Gruppe der Reichskriminalpolizei (nein, wir befinden uns in Schweden). Doch wie gewohnt ist bei Arne Dahl das Kleine eng mit dem Großen verknüpft. So auch die mysteriöse Explosion in einer Zelle im Hochsicherheitsgefängnis von Kumla, die einen Ex-Jugoslawen als unappetitliches Puzzle an der Zellenwand verewigt. Verwirrend häufige Szenenwechsel und ein enormes Personenaufkommen leiten den nunmehr dritten Fall der einst so legendären Spezialeinheit ein. Nach den desaströsen Ereignissen um den Kentuckymörder (festgehalten in Dahls letzem Buch, Böses Blut) aufgelöst, scheint es nun, dass sie dringender denn je gebraucht wird!

Der Leichenberg wächst beunruhigend schnell. In einem (für den Leser wenig magenschonenden) Bandengemetzel bleiben fünf Mitglieder auf der Strecke. Grund für das Blutbad war offensichtlich ein mysteriöser verschwundener Aktenkoffer. Bald watet die A-Gruppe in einem menschlichen Morast aus Neonazis, Pädophilen, Kriegsverbrechern aus Ex-Jugoslawien, mittendrin ein Junge, der gerne Ovid liest. Am Ende droht gar ganz Stockholm zu leuchten. Und das nicht der Mittsommernacht wegen!