Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang facts for kids
The hardcover three volumes (first editions)
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| Author | Ian Fleming |
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| Illustrator | John Burningham |
| Cover artist | John Burningham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
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Publication date
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22 October 1964 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 46 (Volume 1) |
| OCLC | 427190610 (Volume 1) |
| Followed by | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again |
Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car is a fun children's book written by Ian Fleming. He wrote it for his son, Caspar. The book has cool drawings by John Burningham. It first came out in three parts, starting on October 22, 1964, published by Jonathan Cape in London.
Ian Fleming is famous for creating the James Bond spy stories. He got the idea for Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang from real racing cars. These cars were called "Chitty Bang Bang" and had airplane engines. They were built in the 1920s by Count Louis Zborowski. This book was the last one Fleming wrote. Sadly, he passed away before it was published.
The book Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang was later made into a 1968 movie. This film was also called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The movie's story was written by Roald Dahl and Ken Hughes. It was produced by Albert R. Broccoli, who also produced many James Bond movies. The story was also turned into a stage musical. In 2011, BBC Radio 4 Extra made a radio play of the book. Imogen Stubbs was the voice of Chitty. Three more books, or sequels, have been written. These were all written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce.
Contents
The Story of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang
This section tells you all about the exciting adventures in the book.
Meet the Pott Family
The main character is Commander Caractacus Pott. He is a clever inventor. He earns money by inventing special whistle-like sweets. He sells them to Lord Skrumshus, who owns a big candy factory. With this money, Commander Pott buys an old, broken car.
The car is a "Paragon Panther." It was the only car ever made by the Paragon company before it went out of business. It's a large, four-seat touring car with a huge front hood. After Commander Pott fixes it up, he names it "Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang." This name comes from the sounds it makes when it starts up. It makes a "chitty-chitty" noise from its starter and then two loud "bang-bang" sounds.
Chitty's Magical Powers
At first, Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang seems like a normal, powerful car. But soon, it starts to do amazing things on its own! The first magical moment happens when the family is stuck in a traffic jam. They are on their way to the beach for a picnic.
Suddenly, the car tells Commander Pott to pull a switch. When he does, Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang grows wings and flies right over the stopped cars! Commander Pott flies them to Goodwin Sands. This is a sandbank in the English Channel. There, the family enjoys their picnic, swims, and takes a nap.
Adventures at Sea and in France
While the family sleeps, the tide starts to come in. Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang wakes them up just in time with a hiss of steam. The car then tells Commander Pott to pull another switch. This time, Chitty turns into a vehicle that can float over water, like a hovercraft!
They travel to the French coast and land on a beach near Calais. They explore a cave there. The cave has traps to scare people away. Inside, they find a secret stash of weapons and explosives. The family sets off the explosives and quickly leaves the cave.
Escaping the Gangsters
The bad guys who own the weapons arrive. They are gangsters or gun-runners. They block the road in front of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. The gangsters threaten the Pott family. But Commander Pott quickly pulls the switch that turns the car back into an airplane. They fly away, leaving the angry gangsters behind.
The Potts stay overnight in a hotel in Calais. While they sleep, the gangsters break into the children's room. They kidnap Jeremy and Jemima and drive towards Paris. Chitty tracks the gangsters' route. It wakes Commander and Mrs. Pott, and they chase after them.
Saving the Day in Paris
The gangsters plan to rob a famous chocolate shop in Paris. They want to use the children as a distraction. But the Pott children hear their plan. They manage to warn the shop owner, Monsieur Bon-Bon. Chitty arrives just in time to stop the gangsters from getting away.
The police arrive and arrest the gangsters. As a reward, Madame Bon-Bon shares her secret fudge recipe with the Potts. The two families become good friends. Chitty then flies the family away to unknown places. The book suggests that the magical car has even more secrets to discover!
Main Characters
- Caractacus Pott – A very creative inventor and a former commander in the Royal Navy.
- Mimsie Pott – Caractacus's wife.
- Jeremy and Jemima Pott – Caractacus's and Mimsie's twin children, who are eight years old.
- Lord Skrumshus – The rich owner of a sweet factory.
- Joe the Monster – The leader of a criminal gang.
- Man-Mountain Fink – A member of Joe's gang.
- Soapy Sam – Another member of Joe's gang, who is good with explosives.
- Blood-Money Banks – A member of Joe's gang, who is a blackmailer.
- Monsieur Bon-Bon – The owner of a famous chocolate shop in Paris. He is the target of Joe's gang.
Behind the Book
Learn how Ian Fleming came up with this magical story.
The Idea for Chitty
By 1961, Ian Fleming had already written many James Bond books. He started writing Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang around this time. The car in the book was inspired by two real cars. One was Fleming's own Standard Tourer car. He drove it in Switzerland in the late 1920s.
The other inspiration was the famous "Chitty Bang Bang" racing car. This car was a custom-made Mercedes-Benz with a huge 23-liter airplane engine. Fleming had seen its owner, Count Louis Zborowski, race it at the Brooklands track. Just like Zborowski named his car for its sound, Fleming named his car "Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang" because of the noises it made.
Fleming's Personal Touches
As he wrote the book, Fleming added parts of his own life into the story. For example, one of the children in the book is named Jemima. This was after the daughter of his friend, Hugo Pitman. The advice Commander Pott gives his children also sounds like something Fleming would say: "Never say 'no' to adventures. Always say 'yes', otherwise you'll lead a very dull life."
Finding an Illustrator
In May 1961, Fleming sent the first two parts of his Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang story to his publisher. He suggested that Wally Fawkes, a cartoonist known as Trog, should draw the pictures. Fleming liked Trog's work. Trog even tried to make the fudge recipe from the book, but it wasn't very good! The publishers had to find a better recipe to include.
However, Trog's newspaper, the Daily Mail, would not let him finish the drawings. This was because many of Fleming's other stories were published in a rival newspaper. So, the publisher hired John Burningham instead. Burningham had recently won a special award for his book Borka: The Adventures of a Goose with No Feathers.
A Story from Bedtime
In November 1963, Fleming was not feeling well. He had a heart attack. While he was recovering, a friend gave him a book by Beatrix Potter. The friend suggested that Fleming write down the bedtime stories he used to tell his son, Caspar, every night.
Fleming loved this idea and started writing with great energy. He even joked to his publisher, "There is not a moment, even on the edge of the tomb, when I am not slaving for you."
Fleming did not get to see Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang published. He had another heart attack on August 11, 1964. He passed away the next day, which was his son Caspar's twelfth birthday. The book was published two months after he died.
Other Versions of the Story
Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang has been adapted into different forms.
Newspaper Story (1964)
The Daily Express newspaper published Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang in parts. It appeared in five episodes over one week, from October 19 to October 23, 1964.
The 1968 Movie
A movie based on the novel was made in 1968. Roald Dahl and Ken Hughes wrote the screenplay. Ken Hughes also directed it. Albert R. Broccoli, who produced many James Bond films, produced this movie too.
The film starred Dick Van Dyke as Caractacus Potts. Sally Ann Howes played a new character named Truly Scrumptious, who was not in Fleming's book. Two actors from the Bond movies were also in the film. These were Desmond Llewelyn and Gert Fröbe. They played Coggins the scrap-dealer and Baron Bomberst. A book version of the film was also published in 1968 by John Burke.
The 2002 Musical
On April 16, 2002, a stage musical called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang opened. It was based on the movie. The musical opened at the London Palladium theatre. Adrian Noble directed it, and Gillian Lynne did the dances. Michael Ball starred in the show.
This musical ran for three and a half years and earned over £70 million. It was the longest-running show ever at the London Palladium. The show was nominated for two Laurence Olivier Awards. A Broadway version of the musical opened in New York City on April 28, 2005. It ran for 284 performances and was nominated for five Tony Awards.
Radio Play (2011)
A one-hour radio play of the novel was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra on April 3, 2011. Imogen Stubbs was the voice of Chitty, and Alex Jennings played Caractacus Potts.
New Adventures (2011-2013)
Three new books that continue Fleming's story have been written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce.
- The first, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, came out on October 7, 2011.
- The second, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Race Against Time, was released on September 27, 2012.
- A third sequel, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Over the Moon, was released on September 26, 2013.
See also
In Spanish: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (libro) para niños
