The Animals of Farthing Wood

Product Information

You got to know about each animal in Farthing Wood because their name was their species and for all females, mate. Vixen, the fox's mate, showed up late to the party but was the only female given any thought. Pheasant's hen gave him a scathing look on occasion, but never chimed in an opinion. And I'm glad I did, a fun, allegorical and well read audiobook. I must admit I started just vaguely listening, but as their adventures increased I was hooked and if I had to leave the room, I was asking my wife to pause so I didn't miss anything. Badger was at his worst when he crowed "I told you so" [well he did say he was right] to force the field mice and Vole to stay behind, when their babies are eaten. Farthing Wood was written many years before Frost Dancers but both had psychotic birds who killed. Frost Dancer's Bubba was more fleshed out than the Butcher Bird. The writing oozes intelligence and is wonderfully imaginative. I especially enjoyed the scene where Badger collected glow worms and used them to light his inner chambers the night the animals gathered in his sett: very endearing and sweet. The story also eminated spirituality and important messages about the care and preservation of Creation, friendship, loyalty and consequences of choices, bravery, perserverence, intelligence and wisdom, kindness, mercy, virtue and admonition.

Vixen appears several times alongside Fox and gives her opinions on the situations the animals are facing, giving advice and showing concern for the other animals as usual. She shows great concern for Badger after he drinks from the stream and has his confrontation with Trey, but she disagrees with his idea that they should try and convince the stag to drink from the stream himself. She appears at the meeting of elders to discuss the problem with Trey and is also one of the animals who makes the trip to the pond to show Trey that he cannot stop them from drinking there. Colin Dann was born in Richmond, London, in 1943. After leaving the local grammar school he worked first for a large textile company before his real love – the world of books – brought him a job in publishing. He worked for William Collins, Sons & Co. for 13 years. During this time, in odd hours at home, Colin wrote his first book, The Animals of Farthing Wood, which was published finally in 1979 after years of trying. It was an immediate success, winning awards is now translated into sixteen languages. The book has never been out of print since its first publication 25 years ago. Six sequels and one prequel have followed and enjoyed similar success. The charm of even Beak of the Moon [it did resort to some heavy handedness about sheep] was the lives of these animals were their own. I bought this some time ago, and at that time I was pretty surprised at myself that despite being such a big fan of the TV series, I had never actually read the book.

Toys

The Animals of Farthing Wood is a tale about the residents of Farthing Wood's quest to move to White Deer Park after their home is bulldozed over. Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments

In 1992 a major animation series based on the Farthing Wood stories was broadcast by the BBC and it stole the hearts of children throughout Britain and Europe. Vixen appears several times during the spring and gives her advice to Fox as she always does. After Husky is captured by The Beast, Vixen realizes that Badger has gone to offer himself to the cat so she rushes off to stop him. She beats Badger to the copse only to discover that Husky has already been killed. When Fox decides that action must be taken against the Beast, Vixen is much more cautious and hopes that the Warden will be able to catch the cat before any more lives are lost. In the Grip of Winter was published in 1981, Fox's Feud was published in 1982, and The Fox Cub Bold was published in 1983. An omnibus edition of all three books was published in 1994 by Hutchinson. The Siege of White Deer Park was first published in 1985, In the Path of the Storm was first published in 1989, and Battle for the Park was first published in 1992. Those three books were made into a second omnibus in 1995 by Hutchinson. Vixen forms part of the sentry during Fox's plan to get rid of the poachers and runs off to the pond to watch the plan unfold. Although the plan appears to succeed, Vixen worries that the poachers may return to get their revenge on Fox. When they do return Vixen comes up with a plan to lead the poachers to the Warden's lodge, which Fox successfully puts into action. After Toad leaves the park, Vixen is the first to discover that he has been captured in a jam jar and Whistler eventually manages to rescue him. Death is a constant threat throughout the book as some of the other animals won’t complete the journey.Both her and Fox have aged greatly in the three years between Series 2 and Series 3, showing it in how often they are seen sleeping, and in their face. Near the end of the second series, Crow leads her and Fox to Bold, and they say their goodbyes before he dies. She's shown to be the most distraught about her son's passing, still wailing over his body even when Charmer and Ranger arrive to see what has happened.

She has a larger role in season 2 than in season 1, they begin having the safety of the cubs threatened with the cold winter, and Scarface beginning to kill their friends, beginning with Mrs Vole and Mrs Hare. This one is pure nostalgia driven, I spotted this in a charity shop a while ago and grabbed it like my life depended on it. The Animals of Farthing Wood were such a big part of my early childhood, I watched the TV series on CBBC, had the kids book collection, one of which is also pictured, and still have the annuals that came out at the time. I loved The Animals of Farthing Wood so when I saw I had to get the book it was all based on. Baby Fieldmice • Baby Newt • Baby Rabbits • Barn Owl • Betsy Griggs • Bruno • Carp • Fieldmouse • Hare • Hedgehog • Horse • Hunting Master • Mrs Fieldmouse • Mrs Hedgehog • Mrs Hare • Mrs Newt • Mrs Pheasant • Mrs Rabbit • Mrs Shrew • Mrs Squirrel • Mrs Vole • Newt • Pheasant • Pike • Rabbit • Rooks • Shrew • Shrike • Squirrel • Thrush • Tom • Tom Griggs • Vole

Christmas Cards & Gift Wrap

Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing - Jan 2013: I think this might be THE most spiritual children's book I have ever read. There's nothing to skip over, NOTHING to admonish. It's just a deep and lovely read with a meaningful message :)

The book is a traditional journey tale not only in the style of other animal books such as Watership Down, but Lord of the Rings. I loved how each character had his own unique character. Badger was kind, Fox intelligent and courageous, Mole humble (and greedy! A vice that had its own price to pay), Kestrel focused and determined, Toad strong and perservering, Pheasant vain, Adder painfully honest, Rabbit grounded. I also enjoyed the message that went with every animals uniqueness: we all have a place and a part to play in life; no matter how small or large; weak or strong. I appreciated the way Dann did not shy away from adressing the realities of life: death, suffering, hardship and hunger; but met these topics head on, with hope intertwined. The plot is about a lot of different animals that have to pull together, putting all of their differences aside, to make a perilous journey to White Deer Park. All of this occurs because it is discovered that humans are cutting down the forest, and in the process, they are destroying their homes, so obviously, they need to leave. I enjoyed the way the story flowed from one scene to another, although, there were quite a lot of scenes that could prove to be uncomfortable for a younger reader, but overall, the tone is quite mellow.There’s such a nice array of characters including the loyal Fox and pompous Owl plus the fatherly Badger and the greedy Mole who’s appetite can lead him into trouble, the group are lead by tour guide Toad. The story follows a group of animals, led by Fox, as they make the decision to leave their home behind. People are bulldozing Farthing Wood to make room for new houses and Toad has just returned with news of a nature reserve where the group can live without fear. The books tell the story of a group of woodland animals whose home has been paved over by developers. They learn of a nature reserve, White Deer Park, where they will be safe, and undertake to make the journey together. They form an Oath, promising to protect one another and overcome their natural instincts until they reach their destination. The moral of this story is that humans are taking up all of the land and leaving nothing for our wildlife. The message was well intended, but too much made about human fellows and less about the animals.