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Main page » Audiobooks » "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and Other Animal Stories (Audio CD)


"Fantastic Mr. Fox" and Other Animal Stories (Audio CD)

 
39

4 of Dahl's animal stories read by Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Martin Jarvis, and Geoffrey Palmer

  • Publisher: Puffin Audiobooks (November 25, 2004)
  • ISBN-10: 0141805641
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141805641
FANTASTIC MR. FOX read by Martin Jarvis
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.

ESIO TROT
read by Geoffrey Palmer
This celebrated, splendidly matched author-illustrator team here present a 64-page love story that is equally sweet and silly. For years, Mr. Hoppy has leaned over his balcony rail to gaze longingly at Mrs. Silver, who lives one floor below him. But all of her attention and affection is showered upon her pet tortoise, Alfie. Although the creature seems content, his devoted owner is concerned because he has gained a mere three ounces in the 11 years she has owned him. When the distressed Mrs. Silver tells her neighbor that she will be his "slave for life" if he can find a way to make Alfie grow, the determined Mr. Hoppy devises an elaborate scheme to make her think the tortoise is growing. (Since tortoises, according to Mr. Hoppy, are backward creatures that "can only understand words that are written backwards," his exhortation to the pet begins "Esio Trot"--which is "tortoise" reversed.) It is a happy Hoppy who gets all the credit--and Mrs. Silver's hand.

THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE read by Stephen Fry
With his "secret plans and clever tricks," the Enormous Crocodile desires to lunch not with but on a nice, juicy child. His croc companion, the Notsobig One, is the first to try to talk him out of his scheme, claiming children are no good to eat. "'Tough and chewy!' cried the Enormous Crocodile. 'Nasty and bitter! What awful tommyrot you talk! They are juicy and yummy!'" One jungle critter after another--from Trunky the elephant to Muggle-Wump the monkey to the Roly-Poly Bird--tries to prevent the Enormous Crocodile from carrying out his dastardly deed, but on he waddles toward the village. Unfortunately for him, the animals have a few secret plans and clever tricks up their furry sleeves, too!

THE GIRAFFE AND THE PELLY AND ME read by Hugh Laurie
When Billy joins the Ladderless Window-Cleaning Company, he gets a lot more than a new job. First he makes three new friends, then it's time to get to work cleaning all 677 windows of the Duke of Hampshire's house. The Duke is not only the most wealthy man in the country, he's also the most generous. Can he make Billy's lifelong dream come true? "A captivating story and a wonderful read-aloud.

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Tags: November, Audiobooks, Puffin, 2004Fantastic, Other