Battle for the Park facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Colin Dann |
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| Illustrator | Trevor Newton |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Animals of Farthing Wood |
| Genre | Children's, Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Hutchinson |
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Publication date
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1992 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 164 (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 0-09-176425-4 (first edition, hardback) |
| OCLC | 26316777 |
| Preceded by | In the Path of the Storm |
Battle for the Park is the seventh book in The Animals of Farthing Wood series. It was first published in 1992. This book is also part of a special "Second Omnibus" edition. That edition includes The Siege of White Deer Park and In the Path of the Storm.
Contents
The Story of the Park
This book tells an exciting story about the animals of White Deer Park. It's spring, and new adventures begin for everyone.
Dash's Big Idea
Dash, a young hare, loves to run fast. She thinks she's quicker than anyone! Dash wants to race on the open downland outside the park. She even talks about digging under the fence. Her friend, Plucky the fox, worries about her. But Dash soon decides to stay inside the park.
Missing Friends and New Threats
Later, Plucky goes missing! Dash then asks the rabbits to help her dig. She wants to search for Plucky outside the park. Meanwhile, other animals also disappear from the park. Even Weasel is gone. Toad and Tawny Owl bring bad news. They say many brown rats have entered the park. Fox tells everyone to get rid of any rat they see.
The Rescue Plan
Dash returns to the park without Plucky. She finds humans catching animals in traps. She tells Fox and Vixen about it. When the humans leave, Dash follows their van. She chases them to a big walled area. Fox decides to form a rescue team. They will help their captured friends. Fox also puts Badger in charge. Badger's job is to lead the fight against the rats. More rats keep coming into the park.
The rescue team heads to the new reserve. Tawny Owl flies over the wall to find Weasel. Plucky hears Tawny Owl's calls. He finds Weasel, but they can't escape. Tawny Owl has to leave them behind. The animals in White Deer Park keep fighting the rats. The humans also notice the rats. So, the rats decide to hide for a while. Fox asks Whistler, a heron, to fly Weasel back. Whistler brings Weasel home. But Plucky must stay behind and find his own way out.
The Rat Invasion Grows
After hiding, the rats return to the park. They come back slowly, night after night. Soon, there are huge numbers of them. The other animals don't realize how many rats there are at first. When the animals finally see the rats in the Hollow, they attack. They drive the rats out of their area.
However, more rats gather at the pond. They attack the frogs. Toad tries to stop them. The rats then attack Toad too. Bully, the rat leader, warns Toad. He says the rats will take over the whole park. As the white deer come to drink, Bully bites Toad. Then he runs away. Whistler finds Toad badly hurt. Toad asks Whistler to carry him to the Hollow. Whistler does, but Toad dies soon after.
Plucky's Escape and a Tricky Truce
The animals form another hunting party. They keep attacking the rats. But more rats keep coming. It feels like a losing battle. Meanwhile, Plucky comes up with a plan to escape. After the Warden checks the reserve, Plucky jumps into his truck. The Warden drives him out of the gates. Plucky jumps out and runs home. He is finally reunited with his friends.
The rats continue to spread in the park. Adder and Sinuous, two snakes, try to kill as many as they can. As they attack, Bully and his rats grab Adder. Sinuous escapes and tells Plucky. Plucky quickly goes to rescue Adder. He talks to Bully. Plucky promises not to dig into the rats' nest. In return, Adder is set free. Bully then offers a truce. He says all animals should focus on raising their young. But Bully secretly plans to attack when the animals are not ready.
The Warden's Help and a New Friend
Fox comes up with a plan. They will show the Warden the rats are there. The animals leave dead rats outside his lodge. Meanwhile, Bully sends his strongest rats to find Adder. They find Sinuous and attack her. Sinuous fights back and kills Brat, one of Bully's helpers. But the other rats attack Sinuous until she is gone. The Warden finally sees the rats. He starts looking for them. The animals are happy he will deal with the problem.
Badger is tired from fighting the rats. He can barely move. A young female badger named Frond finds Badger. The rats drove her from her home. She asks for shelter. Frond then gathers food for Badger. Badger likes being cared for. Frond stays with him. The Warden finally finds the rats. He puts out poison for them. But the rats are too smart. They don't eat the bait.
The Final Battle for the Park
Bully finally decides to attack the Farthing Wood animals. A huge group of rats swarms into their area. Mossy is spotted and killed by Spike, another rat leader. Holly sees the attack and warns Tawny Owl. The battle begins! But the Farthing Wood animals are outnumbered. Leveret and Dash run to get all the other animals. They arrive and join the fight.
With everyone's help, the rats are forced to retreat. Adder gets revenge for Sinuous by killing Spike. Vixen chases Bully. She defeats him and throws him out of the park.
Within hours, the park is free of rats. The animals can live peacefully again. A few days later, Whistler sees a new fence. It's along the downland between the two reserves. Then, Dash discovers something amazing. Part of the park's boundary fence is gone! The park now connects to the downland. White Deer Park is twice as big! There is much more space for all the animals to live.
TV Show Adventures
The story of Battle for the Park is shown in the third season of The Animals of Farthing Wood (TV series). Some parts of the story are changed a little for the show.
