Fantastic Mr Fox

Fantastic Mr Fox

Roald Dahl

Recommended age: as from 6 years old.

Mr Fox lives on a hill in the wood, with Mrs Fox and their four Small Foxes. Every night, Mr Fox would go to one of the surrounding farms to get his dinner.

The farmers were nasty men who went mad with rage because Mr Fox always outsmarted them. So, they would get out their guns, the shovels and the caterpillar tractors and determine themselves to kill Mr Fox, even it that means destroying the hill in the wood with all its other animals.

"All three of them were about as nasty and mean as any men you could meet" 

"Boggis and Bunce and Bean

One fat, one short, one lean.

These horrible crooks

So different in  looks

Where none the less equally mean". 

Gonzalo Munné (8 years old): "I have just finished Fantastic Mr Fox and I have enjoyed it very much. It was very funny because the fox stole the food from the farmers and lived off them."

But, as we have just said, Mr Fox is too smart for them...Yes, do not despair, although Mr Fox and family are surrounded by 108 men with sticks and guns, Mr Fox has a plan... However, he will need the help of his four little foxes to carry it out, and he is sure to get it because they are brave and resilient little ones!

"What fine children I have, he thought. They are starving to death and they haven´t had a drink for three days, but they are still undefeated."

Daniel L.C. (11 years old): "This book is a very good book as the plot first of all is very interesting and gives good grounds for debate as to say "is it good to steal if you are hungry, or not?". The family of Mr Fox is also very interesting because the four little children are so brave and desperate for food and surviving that they are willing to dig, even though they are starving just to save themselves and the familly from death of hunger."

Mr Fox is very generous and he will also provide for Badger, Mole, Rabbit and Weasel and their wives and children.

'We shall simply take a little food here and there to keep us and our families alive. Right?'
'I suppose we´ll have to', said Badger.
'If they want to be horrible, let them', said Mr Fox. 'We down here are decent peace-loving people.'

Jaime L.C. (11 years old): "This book is pretty good for little kids, it is quite interesting because the plot is about people being hunted down, but Roald Dahl makes it less scary by using irony.

Just by reading the first few pages, you compare it to Robin Hood, except for Robin has a whole team of born rougs on his side but the guy on the picture above only has a bunch of starving, talking animals on his side."

Pablo L.C (11 years old):   "Fantastic Mr Fox is a witty and highly entertaining book. It differs from your usual namby-pamby Damsel in Distress, Brave Prince drivel, as the character is actually facing a huge and extremely dangerous problem, as he is starving and there are men with shotguns waiting for him outside. A truly wonderful novel, written in a FANTASTIC style."

Related activities:

This is the movie based on the book, the plot is quite different. We would recommend it for children over 8 years old as the little ones might find it a bit long, although it is a brilliant film:

Click here to watch the official trailer to this very cool and obviously fantastic movie, something of a Mission Impossible fox style!

Did you know...?

This cutie could very well the son of Badger, Mr Fox´ friend. He looks as cuddly as a soft toy!

Badgers are very timid animals. They also like to come out at night, so it is quite difficult to spot one. In fact, although we know there are many badgers in our neighbourhood, we haven´t managed to see any yet, we´ll keep looking...

And these two could very well be the son of Badger and one of the Small Foxes from the story, what do you think they are up to?

Thanks to our new team member:

Gonzalo Munné,  who is 8 years old. He enjoys reading and playing with his friends. He has a 2 years old brother who sometimes no le deja hacer las cosas. 









Check out our Facebook page, La biblioteca de Miss McHaggis. This week it is dedicated to our beloved Roald Dahl.

Just so Stories

Just So Stories

Rudyard Kipling

Recommended age: as from 3 years old.

Questions, questions....Why? How? When?... Curious children ask questions, some of them are easy to answer, some of them not so much.

How did the leopard get his spots? How did the rhinocero get his skin? And what about the camel´s hump? And the elephant´s trunk? Well my dear mums and dads and O my Best Beloved children, these are the very imaginative and fabulous explanations that Kipling used to give to his own children.

Jaime L.C.: ''This is the perfect book for mini dudes, it has a few metaphorical stories in which it explains how some animals got their shapes (what do people have against darwinism these days?) The stories are quite good and imaginative though the illustrations are the best part, they are AMAZING and they portray the story really well."

The stories are written in an amusing grand style, that resembles the way old stories were told in India. Each story also includes a poem. This one is for the lazy camel:

The Camel´s hump is an ugly lump

Which well you may see at the Zoo;

But uglier yet is the hump we get

From having too little to do.

(...)

Pablo L.C.: " A very entertaining array of stories that will keep your little ones asking for more and more. The writing style is quite poetic, creative and imaginative. As my brother says, not very Darwinist, though they are enormous fun. I particularly like the story of how the whale got his throat, as it is a very ingenious, and the descriptions are stupendous, and there is a lot of effective repetition in the story, which helps you understand who the man is, and why whales can only eat small fish."

Daniel L.C.: "The story of how the leopard got his spots is a very "logical"way for the leopard to get them and it also says of how the Ethiopian got their black skin so if you are ever wondering of how they did get black skin and black spots this is the book to consult! I like this story because it really signifies how important camouflage is in the animal life as if you are an animal who dosn´t have any kind of camouflage you can count yourself dead, and if you are a preadator with no camouflage you are sure not to catch any prey!".

Then the Ethiopian put his five fingers close together (there was plenty of black left on his new skin still) and pressed them all over the Leopard, and wherever the five fingers touched they left five little back marks, all close together. You can see them on any Leopard´s skin you like, Best Beloved. (...)

"Now you are a beauty!" said the Ethiopian. (...) "You can lie out on a leafy branch and look like sunshine sifting through the leaves; and you can lie right across the centre of a path and look like nothing in particular. Think of that and purr!"

Related activities:

Rudyard Kipling is also the author of one of the classics, The Jungle Book. Disney made an excellent film based on this book which as been a favourite of all children.

Click here to browse thruough this movie´s page, you can watch a trailer and much more. We soooo recommend this film! it is just wonderful, funny and with amazing characters and very funky music!!

Did you know...?

Rhinoceros are big scary animals, aren´t they? They are normally portrayed as fierce and bad humoured giants, even in this book the rhino is a bad mannered fellow.

But I have recently found out that when they are babies they are the cutest most fragile animals you can imagine.

In fact, baby rhinos are very shy and desperately need companionship to survive. So much so that they are bound to die of sadness and stress if they feel lonely.

The best way to ensure an orphan rhino has a chance of surviving is to befriend him with a sheep or another animal. Click here and enjoy this very sweet video of a nanny sheep and her baby rhino. Appearances can be deceiving!

Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web

E.B. White

Recommended read: as from 6 years old

Today we bring you a classic for the whole family, but especially for animal lovers. A story of friendship and struggle for survival, without battles or blood, just using intelligence, companionship and words. A book about the power of words, and the importance of knowing how to choose them and when to use them.

Pablo L.C. : "This book is very well written with extremely curious and funny characters like a sneaky rat and goofy and thick sheep. The main characters are a life loving piglet and a super smart spider who even knows Latin! A lovely book for the whole family."

This is the story of a little weak pig, condemned to die for being a runt. Wilbur will need the help of all his friends to survive. First it's Fern, the farmer's daughter, who saves his life at birth, then Charlotte the spider, whose intelligence and fantastic plans will change the sad fate of Wilbur.

Georgina S.: "This is a fabulous classic and also a great movie. I loved Wilbur the pig because it is very cute and because in his adventures at the fair and the farm he gets into trouble and has many funny friends. I also love that a pig and a spider are friends! I think any child over six years of age will like this book as much as I liked it."

Click here to see the official trailer for the film. It is excellent. You'll see how funny the farm animals are. The horse makes me laugh, such a big fellow scared at the sight of the tiny spider!

Daniel L.C.: "This book is not my favorite because I prefer battles and war, but I would recommend it for children under eight years who like farm animals."

Did you know ...?

As last week we celebrated the European Day of Music, I would like share with you one of our favorite pieces: The Carnival of the Animals, by Camille Saint-Saens. The French composer describes animals through his music. Since none of the movements (a part of this musical suite) are dedicated to the pig, poor things, I have chosen another farm animal: the chicken! If you wonder how a symphonic chicken sounds like, click here.

And following our chicken theme, we have something special for you: a Limerick, a funny and slightly crazy poem of five lines. It was written by Jamie!

There was an old chicken from Spain

who had an irregular pain.

It hurt on his head

and it wished it was dead

because of the rather odd pain.

Thanks:

To  our friend from school Georgina  who is 12, likes to draw, read, sew and play sports. She has a twin brother and she is from Australia.

Journey to the River Sea

Journey to the River Sea

Eva Ibbotson

Recommended age: as from 9 years old

Hola amigos,

Today we are off to the Amazon with this wonderful book about adventure and friendship. Perfect for brave explores who will not be distressed at the sight of caimans, piranhas, huge mosquitoes and other animals of the sort.

Jaime L.C.: "A great book for both boys and girls. It tells the story of a girl who has to move to the Amazon when her parents die, a tragedy. A beautiful book that I would recommend to readers who enjoy adventure."

This story begins with Maia's voyage to Brazil accompanied by her new governess. The orphan girl will have to leave her boarding school in London to start a new life in Manaus, at the very heart of the Amazon jungle, with some relatives she has never met before. At school, Maia's friends are horrified at the thought of the many dangers of the tropical forest. You will discover that the problems that await Maia are of a very different type.

Daniel L.C.: "The main character of this book is a girl, but there are also two characters that are boys. My favorite is Finn, because of his personality and mainly because he prefers to live free in the Amazon rather than in a mansion."

My favorite character is Maia, an optimist. The moment she is given the news of her trip, instead of being scared and feel sorry for herself, she heads to the school library to find out about this mysterious place that will become her home. This is a beautiful extract from the book:

"That night Maia sat alone on top of the mahogany library steps, and she read and she read and she read...She read about the travellers who had explored the maze of rivers and found a thousand plants and animals that had never been seen before. She read about brilliantly coloured birds flashing between the laden branches - macaws and humming birds and parakeets - and butterflies the size of saucers, and curtains of sweetly scented orchids trailing from the trees. She read about the wisdom of the Indians who could cure sickness and wounds that no one in Europe understood."

Pablo L.C.: "A great book, with plenty of details and very interesting animals. The main characters include a half Indian boy, two very mean sisters, greedy uncles and a book loving governess. A story for boys and girls."

There is also intrigue in the story. As you read on, be prepared to discover that some of the characters don't turn up to be as you had imagined them....there are big surprises...for the better and, sad to say, also for the very worse.

Did you know...?

It is in the Amazon where you can find the renowned piranhas. They have a very bad reputation but truth is they don't normally attack humans. However, their razor sharp teeth are arranged in such a way that when they close their mouths they interlock, and their jaws are so strong that, should one bite your toe, chances are it will cut it off completely. We prefer sardines...