Fantastic Mr. Fox (1970) is a children’s novel by British author Roald Dahl. One of Dahl’s most acclaimed and enduring titles, the novel follows an anthropomorphic fox—the titular Mr. Fox—and his animal friends, who live near three cruel farmers. Although the farmers continually attempt to kill the animals, Mr. Fox and his friends are able to outsmart them and steal all the food they want. Fantastic Mr. Fox, like many of Dahl’s works, is a story about triumphing over cruel and selfish forces. The novel explores the importance of family and friends as well as the power of intelligence in overcoming strength. It also has an environmentalist message, focusing on the conflict between man and the natural world.

Having remained in print around the world since its release, Fantastic Mr. Fox won the 1994 BILBY Award in Australia. Two audiobook recordings were released, with the first being narrated by Roald Dahl himself. The novel has been adapted into stage plays and an opera; however, the best known version is likely the critically acclaimed film adaptation (2009) directed by Wes Anderson and starring George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Bill Murray.

This guide is based on the Puffin Books version reissued in 2007.

Plot Summary

Fantastic Mr. Fox opens with Mr. Fox, his wife Mrs. Fox, and their four children living in a hole under a tree overlooking a valley. In this valley are three large farms, owned by a trio of rich, cruel farmers named Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. The three men hate the wild animals that live on the outskirts of their farms and try to kill them whenever possible.

Despite this danger, Mr. Fox provides for his family by stealing from the farms. Each night, he sneaks to the surrounding farms to steal chickens or other birds to feed his family. Boggis, Bunce, and Bean frequently spot him and try to kill him, but he outwits them every time.

Bean decides that the best way to end these thefts is for the three farmers to work together. The three men stake out Mr. Fox’s hole and plan to shoot him when he emerges. Mr. Fox isn’t prepared for an ambush and flees when he sees the men. However, his tail is shot off by a shotgun blast as he scurries away. The three farmers decide to take action before Mr. Fox can return: They grab shovels and begin to dig out the fox burrow. Although Mrs. Fox and the children are terrified, Mr. Fox reminds them that they can dig faster than humans. The family mounts an escape, digging downwards before the farmers can catch them. In a rage, the men decide to dig out the entire hill to find the foxes. They use giant mechanical shovels attached to tractors to tear up the hill. The fox family continues to dig, and the farmers stake out the hill with shotguns in hand. As days pass, Mrs. Fox and the children become weak from fear and hunger. Mr. Fox has an idea: The family can dig underneath the farms and break into their storehouses. Mr. Fox and his children dig into Boggis’s chicken house and steal several chickens.

While digging, the family runs into Mr. Fox’s friend Badger. The badgers as a whole are horrified by what’s been done to the hill, and Badger reveals that all the digging animals (the rabbits, weasels, and moles) have been forced underground. Badger is angry at Mr. Fox, blaming him for the destruction of the hill. Mr. Fox admits his fault, but says he has a plan to solve everything. Together with Badger, the foxes head to Bunce’s storehouse and steal ducks, geese, hams, bacon, and vegetables that he was planning to sell.

Badger is uncomfortable with the idea of stealing, but Mr. Fox explains that they’re only stealing to feed their children and stay alive. He argues that stealing food may be wrong, but it’s nowhere near as bad as trying to kill someone. Badger accepts this reasoning, and he, Mr. Fox, and Mr. Fox’s smallest child break into Bean’s secret cider cellar. They are almost discovered by a woman coming to retrieve cider. Badger, Mr. Fox, and the smallest fox return to the tunnels, where a giant dining hall has been dug out. All the digging animals hold a feast and toast Mr. Fox. Meanwhile, Boggis, Bunce, and Bean wait at the entrance to the tunnel, assuming the animals will come out at any moment. The narrator ends the novel by saying that they must still be waiting to this very day.