The Animals of Farthing Wood

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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.

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 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. She is last seen at the end of the episode watching her mate walk off to explore the new part of the park with Trey. Vixen is the primary narrator to the audience in the final season. With her previous role being filled by Charmer, who is believed to be carrying Ranger's cubs. I also loved how Fox saw something positive emerge from a negative event. This showed his maturity and his spiritual eye was open; noticing how, 'All works for good...'Vixen is very understanding when Charmer starts seeing Ranger and gives her daughter the opportunity to explain the situation to her and Fox. Vixen is worried when Fox decides to challenge Scarface to single combat and tries to talk him out of it, but she soon realizes that he will not change his mind and lets him go. After Scarface's death, Vixen agrees with Whistler's suggestion that the animals should pair themselves off with the park's inhabitants and hopes that Bold and Friendly follow Charmer's lead by finding mates for themselves.

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. The adventure follows a group of animals who are forced from their home after humans start destroying their woods, with numerous hurdles the band of friends travel across the country to find protection at the White Deer Park nature reserve. 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.

Its been over twenty years since I read this book last with my school class, all of us following along as our teacher (the one who impacted me the most) read aloud. Now I'm looking forward to revisiting it with adult eyes :) 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. When their home in Farthing Wood is threatened by human development, a group of animals band together in a dangerous cross-country quest to find a place of safety and refuge. Led by the clever and conscientious Fox, the group includes species that would traditionally be "enemies," or rather, predator and prey. The company initially includes: Fox and his two deputies, Badger and Tawny Owl; Toad, who brings them word of a nature sanctuary that may be just what they are looking for; the boisterous Rabbit family; Mole; a group of hedgehogs; Adder; Weasel; Kestrel; the Hare couple; a groups of squirrels; a number of voles; numerous field mice; and a number of lizards. They all swear the "Oath of Mutual Protection," promising to look out for one another along the way, but although they do their best, some of them will not make it to their final destination at White Deer Park, while two others - Vixen and Whistler the heron - join the company along the way... 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 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. The animals make a pact to protect each other, predators and prey alike. As the animals make their journey to White Deer Park, they encounter various obstacles that endanger their lives such as fires, hunters and other predators.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. 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 animals arrive at a quarry and Mole digs under the fence so they can all get in to drink. Here they meet a heron called Whistler, who catches some fish for them to eat. Toad goes swimming and is caught by a carp, but Whistler catches the fish which soon releases Toad from its mouth. Toad asks Whistler to set the fish free and the heron obliges. After this Whistler decides to join the animals on their journey and they all have a celebration before setting off again.