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. Badger grated on my nerves. To me, he was pompous and overbearing, and far too concern troll over how much Mole ate. 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.

A gripping, exciting and emotional story where the Animals of Farthing Wood must leave their home because of humans destroying the land to build houses. Toad reveals he knows a nature reserve where they can all go and live safely from human intervention and so the animals make an oath to protect one another on the dangerous journey to the nature reserve White Deer Park. One thing that the tv adaptation improved on was changing some of the animals into female characters, it gives a more diverse feel to the story. 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. 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 :)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 original book was meant to be a stand-alone book, with the animals reaching White Deer Park at the end. The success of the book led to a further six novels detailing the adventures of the animals once they reached White Deer Park, and a prequel showing how Farthing Wood came to be destroyed. The cover illustrations for this original series were painted by Portal artist Frances Broomfield. Death is a constant threat throughout the book as some of the other animals won’t complete the journey. 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... 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. 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.

LoveReading4Kids Says

Ok, so I wasn't intending to listen to this as this was on my wife's kindle, but the most recent renovation work on our house meant we were in the same room working, so I listened. Dann revealed in an interview with the "Green Action" radio programme on Q96 that the two-book version was special-issue for a children's book club that operated through British primary schools and included some illustrations left out of the original. [ citation needed] 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. 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.

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 :) 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. 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.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. Wise Old Owl was meant to come across as an insufferable know-it-all, but the book was trying to play off that Badger knew what was best for everyone.