The Animals of Farthing Wood

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Written by: Alan Case, Steve Walker, Sue Butterworth, Jenny McDade, Gordon Harrison, Elphin Lloyd-Jones, Valerie Georgeson The animals arrive at a quarry and Mole digs under the fence so they can all get in to drink. Here they meet a heron called Whistler, who catches some fish for them to eat. Toad goes swimming and is caught by a carp, but Whistler catches the fish which soon releases Toad from its mouth. Toad asks Whistler to set the fish free and the heron obliges. After this Whistler decides to join the animals on their journey and they all have a celebration before setting off again. There’s even a Romeo and Juliet style sub-plot thrown in (The Lion King 2 got there much later). Would The Animals of Farthing Wood get made today? The animals reach a motorway and are able to cross one side without any problems, but the other side is much busier and would be much more difficult to cross. Whistler carries the smaller and lighter animals across the road and most of the other animals cross safely, but two of the older hedgehogs are too slow and perish under the wheels of a lorry. The rest of the group walks through some poisoned farm fields and come across a naturalist as they rest in an orchard. Next they travel through a town and rest in a church to escape a heavy storm, but the hole through which they entered is filled in and a wedding party arrives, causing pandemonium as the animals rush to escape. They all escape the church, but some of the slower animals are left behind and have to be fetched by Whistler. I was obsessed with the animated series which led me to the books, it’s probably the reason why I like to read and compare my favourite film and tv shows now.

It is certainly true that the programme was unusually stark and brutal at times. Just look at the ‘Butcher Bird’. Death is a constant threat throughout the book as some of the other animals won’t complete the journey.

Watered-down versions of episode storylines were also featured as a running story in 'Farthing Wood Friends', illustrated using photographic stills from the series. Between magazine coverages of second and third series episodes, abridgements of Colin Dann's original stories were used to fill the void, entitled 'Tales From Farthing Wood'. Another book adaptation of the running story employed for series one was released by Ted Smart Publishing, with illustrations by Stuart Trotter. The books tell the story of a group of woodland animals whose home has been paved over by developers. They learn of a nature reserve, White Deer Park, where they will be safe, and undertake to make the journey together. They form an Oath, promising to protect one another and overcome their natural instincts until they reach their destination.

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]

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Colin Dann was born in Richmond, London, in 1943. After leaving the local grammar school he worked first for a large textile company before his real love – the world of books – brought him a job in publishing. He worked for William Collins, Sons & Co. for 13 years. During this time, in odd hours at home, Colin wrote his first book, The Animals of Farthing Wood, which was published finally in 1979 after years of trying. It was an immediate success, winning awards is now translated into sixteen languages. The book has never been out of print since its first publication 25 years ago. Six sequels and one prequel have followed and enjoyed similar success. 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 wonderful voice work of actors such as Ron Moody brought to life a colourful array of characters named for their species: Fox, Badger, Owl, Weasel and so on. I also loved how Fox saw something positive emerge from a negative event. This showed his maturity and his spiritual eye was open; noticing how, 'All works for good...' This book focusses on the need for a diverse group of wild British animals to make a trek together to a Nature reserve that Toad knows of, simply because the humans have decided to build hoses and develop the current countryside in which they live. With the ban of animals uffering hardships, deaths and many adventures on the way this book looks at the way humans treat animals and nature in general, taking it for granted and using poisons indiscriminately. Well written, it makes you embarrassed to hear what we do to wildlife, both animal and plant life.

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. The animals make a pact to protect each other, predators and prey alike. As the animals make their journey to White Deer Park, they encounter various obstacles that endanger their lives such as fires, hunters and other predators. The Animals of Farthing Wood is a series of books about a group of woodland animals. [1] It originated with the 1979 book, The Animals of Farthing Wood, by Colin Dann, and was followed by six sequels and a prequel by Dann. An animated Animals of Farthing Wood television series based on the books aired in the 1990s, created by the European Broadcasting Union. [2] 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. A show like Farthing Wood understood that if children can be taught about death sensitively from an early age, it would help them as they grow up, and encounter its effects first hand. Man-made threatsThe Animals of Farthing Wood links with Series 1. The Further Adventures of The Animals of Farthing Wood links with Series 2. The Animals of Farthing Wood – Spirit of Survival links with Series 3. 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. 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. This one is pure nostalgia driven, I spotted this in a charity shop a while ago and grabbed it like my life depended on it. The Animals of Farthing Wood were such a big part of my early childhood, I watched the TV series on CBBC, had the kids book collection, one of which is also pictured, and still have the annuals that came out at the time. I loved The Animals of Farthing Wood so when I saw I had to get the book it was all based on.

The episodes were made in both the UK and France. Because of this, in Series 1 traffic is seen driving on the right hand carriageway of the motorway. However, they are briefly seen in Series 3 driving on the left hand side. Other than this, the location is generally kept ambiguous, apart from a brief moment in Series 2 when a gravestone is visible with French writing on it. 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.This was a poignant trip down memory lane for me, because as a child, I used to love the TV adaptation of 'The Animals of Farthing Wood' and I remember rushing my dinner so I could go and watch it in the comfort and peace of my bedroom. Those were the days. Some parts of Friend in Need (parts with Hunting, Meeting Big Owl, Searching, Fox Hunt and the ending) I enjoyed the way the story flowed from one scene to another, although, there were quite a lot of scenes that could prove to be uncomfortable for a younger reader, but overall, the tone is quite mellow.