Fox Cub Bold

The Animals of Farthing Wood #4

by Colin Dann

He saw on man raise his weapon and take aim at him... and, the next instant, felt a fierce sear of pain in his right thigh...'The fox cub Bold has left the sheltered life of the nature reserve determined to make his way in the world. But, exulting in his new-found freedom, he becomes reckless. And now he lies badly wounded by a hunter's bullet. Can Bold survive - lamed and unable to hunt - in the harsh environment of the real world he so eagerly entered? Winter is coming and friends are hard to find . . .

Genres: Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Young Adult, Animal Fiction, Adventure

164 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 1983

About the author

Colin Dann (born 1943 in Richmond, Surrey (now part of London)) is an English author. He is best known for his The Animals of Farthing Wood series of books, which was subsequently made into an animated series.

Dann worked at the publishing firm William Collins Sons & Co. for thirteen years, and his first novel, The Animals of Farthing Wood, was written during this period. The original cover for this and a dozen others was painted by Portal artist Frances Broomfield.

Colin Dann, recipient of Britain's Arts Council National Award for Children's Literature, is also the author of six sequels and a prequel to The Animals of Farthing Wood.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colin Dann's The Animals of Farthing Wood series takes a tragic turn in this fourth installment, as adventurous fox cub Bold, the son of Fox and Vixen, leaves the safety of White Deer Park and heads out into the wide world, determined to experience the real wilderness. Well-meaning but rather naive, Bold can sometimes be arrogant, a quality that soon leads him into trouble, as he underestimates the dangers, both of the natural world, and of his human adversaries. He is permanently maimed when he is shot by hunters, and his eye is injured when he comes to the aid of Shadow, his badger friend. When his earth is destroyed by two men, who dig him out in a terrifying ordeal, Bold takes to living upon the waste left behind by humans in a nearby town. Here, a former shadow of himself, Bold meets Whisper, a vixen who takes him in and tries to nurse him back to health. In one of many examples of the long-reaching influence of his father, which Bold had been trying to outrun, Whisper knows of his lineage, and is determined to eventually live in the safety of White Deer Park with her cubs. But will Bold and Whisper make it back together, or will Bold find that sometimes, you can't go home again...?

Every bit as engrossing as its predecessors, The Fox Cub Bold is also quite a bit darker. It isn't that suffering and death play no role in the previous books - on the contrary, animals die in every one. But there is a sad bleakness to Bold's story, and to its conclusion, that isn't to be found in the earlier titles. Our young vulpine hero is an engaging and sympathetic character, for all his flaws, so it can be difficult to watch his slow demise, over the course of the book. He tries so hard to distance himself from his father, only to slowly become aware that this is impossible, and that the entire animal world knows of the "Fox of Farthing Wood" and his famous adventures. He tries so hard to be independent, only to discover how vulnerable he is, and, in the end, how much he longs for fellowship. There were so many poignant moments here, not just with Bold, but with some of the animals he encounters. Rollo the dog, for instance, who is neglected by his human and longs for affection and companionship, was a melancholy figure, although he did find happiness in the end. The conclusion here, in which Bold doesn't quite make it back to the park, but dies surrounded by his family, is terribly sad, and I think if I had read it first as a child, I would have been beside myself with grief. As it was, I read it with tears in my eyes. Recommended to fans of the previous books, with the caveat that they be aware that it doesn't have a happy ending.

[Robert Swift · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book sticks out in my memory as the first book that I actively stopped reading because I didn't want it to end. It was clear what was about to happen and I couldn't bear to manifest that reality. I felt that a refusal to scan the remaining words could somehow freeze the characters in time and stop the inevitable march towards the looming tragedy.

It was with a heavy heart that I eventually picked up the book and read it to the end and after doing so I was moved to tears by a work of literature for the very first time. In the immediate hours after completing the book, the tears evolved into sobs as I actively mourned my friend Bold and it was weeks before I could bring myself to pick up another book as I didn't feel I had the fortitude to put myself through that sort of experience for a while.

I wouldn't go as far as saying that this book was the book that sparked my love of reading as I was already a bookworm by this point but I think this was the book that deepened my respect for how literature can have a profound effect on your emotional landscape and actually change who you are and shape who you might become.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broke my heart with its tragedy, but as a fox lover I loved reading about my favourite animal.

[Casimir Laski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the war to defend their newly settled home, Bold, the strongest son of the Farthing Wood Fox, sets out to explore the world beyond the safety of White Deer Park in an attempt to establish himself independent of his famous father’s long shadow. A surprisingly tragic and brutal tale with a compelling protagonist, The Fox Cub Bold is quite possible the strongest novel in the series. [8/10]

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book even though it is so incredibly sad, I cried buckets reading this as a child. Beautiful xx

[Tals]

My dad read this to me and my sibs when I was a kid. I was really enjoying it to until he (the fox, not my dad) carked it at the end.

[Lara Vehar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember this episode in the show, and it's one of my favourite episodes- if not my favourite one.

We get a new protagonist - a fox cub named Bold who decides to leave The white deer park and live outside so he can be free and wild and free of his father's influence. He gets injured saving a badger so he is blinded in one eye and he is shot by a hunter who shoots a hole through his leg- a very bleak image indeed. But he finds several friends, the badger he names Shadow, the crow he names Robber, his vixen mate he names Whisper and a good natured but slow mastiff named Rollo. Each character is different and unique and one you can easily remember. It's a story about setting yourself apart from your family, surviving in the wild and ultimately going back home to family after Whisper becomes pregnant with his cubs- except that the journey is too much for him and he doesn't make it. His death is emotional, and it really sticks out to me because it's one of the rare children's books where the protagonist you find yourself cheering on and rooting for dies at the end of the journey instead of making a miraculous recovery. It's a pretty short book but it's still packed full with interesting ideas and it truly shows how an injured animal can adapt to life with a disability because he is forced to find new ways to get food that he otherwise wouldn't even think about.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful xenofiction novel, from the perspective of Bold, a fox cub trying to escape from his father’s shadow. This books is part of the Animals of Farthing Woods series.
As Bold faces hardships, the cruelty of humans, and the indifference of nature, he must also fight his inner demons.
A wonderful read for animal lovers.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me cry so hard as an 11 year old and I’ve re-read it tens of times since. I absolutely love it.

[Crazy_smiler · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. A bit more boring than the others. Don’t care for Bold much.

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review to come...

[Isaac Blackwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember as a child this was the first book I read that made me cry. I'm now 32 and while I didn't cry I still felt it pull at my heartstrings. The darkest and most emotional of the Farthing Wood books but despite that it's one of the best.

[John Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arguably this is a spin-off more than a sequel, but I'm ok with that: basically, it's a new story set in the same world as the rest of the series. It's similar to the Tarzan novels, since the 4th book in the series deals with the previous protagonist's son going off on his own.

The title is a slight misnomer, since Bold is almost fully grown even at the start of the book. However, it sounds quite poetic (with "Bold" doubling up as a noun and adjective) so I'm not going to complain.

I think that Bold is the most nuanced character I've seen in the series so far, and he certainly has flaws. He means well, and he'll willingly put himself in danger to help others, but he can also be arrogant and reluctant to share his food. Since there's a relatively small cast in this story, that means that each animal is quite distinctive.

There are some sad bits in this story; for instance, I felt quite sorry for Rollo. As for the ending, I had a lump in my throat even though I've read the book before and I knew what was coming. I wouldn't call it bleak (unlike Adventure Begins) but it is very moving.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with the previous Farthing Wood novel, 'The Fox Cub Bold' goes to set itself apart. Whereas the cast previously expanded, here the focus narrows considerably to the exploits of Bold as he leaves his family and strikes out on his own. While he remains a difficult character to like at times, he's easily admired and his adventures are just as compelling as the rest of the series. New faces do make an appearance - Shadow, a badger he saves, Robber, the crow who discovers his lineage, Whisper, the fox who becomes his mate, and my favourite, the slow but sweet Rollo the mastiff. Bold's journey is ultimately not my favourite book in the series because of the needlessness of his death. He learns very little, continually turns his back on his new friends, and is unable to let go of the idea that everybody judges him by his father's standards.

[A.R. Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this story, despite the adverb abuse and at times finding the pace a little slow - but perhaps that's just because I can't help comparing it to the TV series, which I used to watch an awful lot as a child. Dann makes a better job than previously at character building; characterisation is both interesting and consistent, both areas where the author has fallen down before as far as I'm concerned! Rollo, Robber the crow and even the rather unlikable Whisper make a good supporting cast for Bold, who has more dimensions to his character than anyone in his family has shown thus far.

[Jake Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've always found Bold's story horribly and unnecessarily bleak, and I now find that I much prefer the way it is presented in the TV series, which includes interesting and poignant comparison and contrast with what's going on back in White Deer Park.

Thinking about the main supporting characters, Whisper comes across as even more of a scheming bitch than she does on the TV show, while Rollo is even more underused than I thought possible. Robber and Shadow are both fairly well done.

Everything now feels finished - this should definitely be the end of the Farthing Wood series.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried at the end, just as I always did when watching the series and reading this book when I was younger. I love the Farthing wood stories, and this one is one of my favorites. Bold is a great character, trying to get away from his father's influence and name and failing. A definite five star book, so happy to find a reasonably cheap copy of this for my Kindle since the paperback is incredibly hard to find!

[Lone Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourth in the ‘Farthing Wood’ series, this book tells the story of Bold, son of the Farthing Wood Fox. Bold, true to his name, wants to experience ‘the real world’, as opposed to the safety of the nature reserve where he was born. Having left the reserve, however, he finds survival much harder than he had anticipated, particularly after being injured by humans. This is a sad but realistic tale of life in the wild, full of courage and sacrifice.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh god, this one made me CRY. Poor, stupid Bold, think he's invincible... makes for a very bleak childrens' book when we all find out that he isn't.

[Jebin]

Loved it.

[Ian]

Given to me as a gift as a young boy, I enjoyed it so much I went on to read most of the other books in the series, albeit out of order.

[Imre Oks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A greater, albeit sadder book one cannot read. It is a story embedded in my memory, by one name - Bold. I will cherish that memory for as long as I live.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

cool but sad

[Sarah A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sobbed my heart out - the tale of Bold, the adventurer who returns to the real world, away from the protection of the gamekeeper.