The Animals of Farthing Wood (book) facts for kids
First edition, 1979
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| Author | Colin Dann |
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| Illustrator | Jacqueline Tettmar |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Animals of Farthing Wood |
| Genre | Children's, Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Egmont Publishing Hutchinson US |
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Publication date
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12 November 1979 |
| Media type | Print (hard & paperback) |
| Pages | 302 (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 0-434-93430-5 (first edition hardback) 1-4052-2552-1 (paperback UK edition) |
| OCLC | 7141006 |
| Followed by | In the Grip of Winter |
The Animals of Farthing Wood is the first book in the famous Animals of Farthing Wood book series. It was later made into a popular TV show. The book was first published in 1979. A shorter version came out in 1993 to go with the TV series.
The story starts in a place called Farthing Wood. This wood is being destroyed to build new human homes. The book tells the exciting journey of a group of animals. They decide to leave their home in Farthing Wood. Their goal is to reach White Deer Park, a safe nature reserve. Fox leads the group. All the animals make a special promise not to hurt each other during their journey.
Contents
The Animals' Big Journey
Leaving Farthing Wood
The story begins when the animals find their small pond has been filled in. Humans had already dug up the land around the wood. Farthing Wood itself had become very small, almost like a tiny group of trees. With a drought making things worse, Badger and Fox call a meeting. All the animals of the wood come, hoping to find a solution.
The animals cannot stop the humans from destroying their home. They also cannot find a long-term water source. Then, Toad appears. He had been missing for almost a year. Toad explains that humans captured him and took him far away. He eventually escaped and found his way back home. During his travels, he met some frogs in a nature reserve. This reserve was called White Deer Park.
Since there was no hope of surviving in Farthing Wood, everyone agreed to go to White Deer Park. Toad offered to guide them. Badger suggested Fox should be the leader. The birds agreed to fly ahead and scout for dangers. The smaller animals were worried about traveling with their natural enemies. So, Badger made everyone take the Oath of Mutual Protection. This oath meant they would put aside their natural differences. They would help each other instead. The animals planned to meet at midnight and begin their journey.
Dangers on the Road
The first part of their journey was full of dangers. The animals crossed a housing area and then army land. Some lizards decided to stay there, as the marshy land suited them. However, a big fire started across the land. The animals ran from the fire. They were forced to hide in the middle of a lake to escape the human firefighters.
After the fire, a storm began. The animals left the lake and entered farmland. They found shelter in an open barn. But sadly, two pheasants on watch were shot. The group had to dig a tunnel to escape. They found a small group of trees to rest for a few days before moving on.
River Crossing and New Friends
After several days of walking, they reached a river. Most animals crossed safely. But the rabbits panicked, even with Fox trying to help them. A lot of floating wood and trash was coming down the river. Badger and others went back into the water to help. All the rabbits were saved. However, the tired Fox and Badger were swept away by the current.
The animals followed the floating debris until it broke apart. Badger was found tangled in weeds. Weasel, Hare, and Hedgehog freed him. Kestrel followed Fox downstream. But Fox disappeared under a bridge, and everyone thought he was dead.
The weakened Badger took charge. Tawny Owl was still grumpy, thinking he and Badger should lead together. Then, Toad became confused. His homing instinct was pulling him back to Farthing Wood. The mice and voles left the group when some of them had babies. This ended sadly when a red-backed shrike, a bird that hunts small creatures, killed the babies. The mice and voles felt bad for not listening to Badger and rejoined the group. Badger also blamed himself. After this crisis, he became more confident and stopped the disagreements.
Fox's Return and a New Ally
Unknown to his friends, Fox was alive. When he disappeared, the floating wood got caught on a motorboat. Fox was carried downstream into a lock. Humans saw him there. He escaped and followed the river back into the countryside. Hours later, he met a horse. The horse told him he was in hunting country and advised him to leave quickly.
A day later, Fox found a burrow to rest. He woke up to see a vixen (female fox). They went hunting together. Fox told Vixen about his friends and their journey. Fox instantly fell in love and wanted Vixen to be his mate. She said she would think about it as they traveled.
The two foxes soon found the scent trail of the group. When the trail split, they separated to search both ways. Vixen soon realized she took the wrong path. She headed back towards Fox. But a fox hunt started chasing her. She became trapped in some woods. Fox bravely distracted the hunt towards himself. He ended up reuniting with the Farthing Wood animals. They were hiding in a small group of trees on a hill.
Vixen started to climb, but the Hunt Master almost caught her. Then, Adder, surprisingly, saved her and the others. Adder bit the horse, stopping the hunt. The animals quickly headed for a quarry. There, they met a funny heron named Whistler. He was called Whistler because of a hole in his wing from a gunshot. Whistler saved Toad from being eaten by a large fish. Whistler was impressed by the group's new respect for life. He wanted to find a mate in White Deer Park, so he decided to join them.
The Final Obstacles
After many days of walking to escape the hunt, the animals reached a busy motorway. Toad had warned them about the road. But it was still being built when he crossed it before. With the hunt chasing them again, Fox decided they should cross immediately. There was a traffic jam on one side, which helped.
In the middle of the road, Whistler offered to carry the smaller animals in his beak. The largest animals crossed in small groups. All the animals survived, except for two old hedgehogs. They got tired and were run over by cars.
A couple of days later, they entered a field of cabbages. Many animals felt uneasy because it was too quiet. Their fears were confirmed when they found the area had been sprayed with pesticide. The animals quickly left for a meadow of wildflowers.
At night, they reached a town, their last big obstacle. Rain forced the animals to find shelter in a church. They entered through a hole and fell asleep behind the organ. In the morning, they found the hole had been filled in. The animals decided to wait until the door opened. But a wedding took place that day. The loud organ music caused chaos. Most animals escaped more by luck than by planning. A few hours later, they arrived at White Deer Park. The White Stag, the leader of the park, welcomed them.
Life in White Deer Park
A few nights after they arrived, Toad invited the animals to celebrate. They noticed he was very cheerful. He had tasted sherry from a bottle the park warden dropped. They gathered near the park warden's cabin. They realized the warden was the same naturalist who had photographed them earlier. They enjoyed being together. They remembered those who did not finish the journey. They also recalled the adventures they shared. They promised to keep following the oath, to remember their amazing journey.
The Oath of Mutual Protection
The Oath of Mutual Protection is very important in the story. It is also important in the books that follow. At the first meeting in Farthing Wood, there was an "Oath of Common Safety." This oath protected smaller animals, especially from Adder. Fox said that Badger's father first suggested this idea.
When the plan was made to travel to White Deer Park, the smaller animals were scared. They feared that meat-eaters like Fox or Adder would eat them. So, they asked for this oath to be sworn again. Badger then named the new promise "The Oath of Mutual Protection." All the animals swore to it.
At first, this oath was the only thing stopping animals like Adder from eating smaller animals. But as they traveled, the oath brought the animals together. It turned into friendship and loyalty. Because of this, they agreed to keep respecting the oath even after they reached White Deer Park.
About the Book's Publication
This book was first published in 1979 by John Goodchild Publishers. It was released as two separate paperback books. These were called Escape from Danger ISBN: 0-903445-53-0 and The Way to White Deer Park ISBN: 0-903445-55-7. They were only sold separately once. Since then, they have always been released as one single novel, The Animals of Farthing Wood.
The only hint that it was once two books is how it is divided. The book has chapters, but it is also split into two main parts. These parts are named 'Escape from Danger' and 'Journey to White Deer Park'.
In a radio interview, the author Colin Dann explained why it was split. The two-book version was a special edition for a children's book club. This club worked through British primary schools. It had extra pictures that were not in the original book. It was thought that this was the best way for the book to become popular. This was because the book Watership Down was very popular as a film at that time.
