Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

by Ian Fleming and Ian Fleming; illustrations by John Burningham

Book Overview

Ian Fleming's beloved original text -- illustrated by Joe Berger "Crackpot" is what everybody calls the Pott family. So when they go to buy a new car and come back with a wreck, nobody is surprised.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375825916
• ISBN13: 9780375825910
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Length: 149 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Charming and delightful

This is the story of Commander Caractacus Pott, a highly eccentric inventor, and his family. When they acquire a broken-down old automobile, Commander Pott goes to work on it, and seemingly with the help of the automobile itself, he rebuilds it into a car that is more than a little bit magic. Due to the sound it makes when it starts up, the Pott children name the car Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! However, a trip in this car is like nothing you can imagine, anything can happen, and something fantastic invariably will! And so it's off to adventure and danger!This is a charming and delightful children's story, one that you could hardly imagine was written by Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond books! My kids love this whimsical story and yours will too. My family highly recommends this book to yours. 5 stars.

Great read aloud book.

This was one of my favorites as a kid and I just read it to my son (aged 4 1/2). The story moves at a fast pace and was one of the first full length books we read. He loved it. The illustrations are wonderful and helped to hold his interest ... but not so many that he couldn't use his imagination to follow the story. I wish Ian Fleming had written more chldrens books.

THe best children's book ever

This is my favorite children's book ever! I have read it at least 10 times--gets better every time!! Read this book to your children.

Famous!

This is an exceptional book about a car that can run on its own. It used to be a famous race car, but then was thrown in the dumps. This eccentric yet ingenious man buys this car, and names it Chitty Chitty Bang Bang after the noise it makes (hence the title of the book). They soon find out that the car they bought is like none other. It had powers that no technology can exceed. The car saves their life by waking the family in time to get away from the water, for the tide was rising and rising. Then they go through a scary and creepy cave with skeletons hanging from the top, and they meet gangsters. They manage to get out of the cave alive, but not without fallimg (or almost falling) into a few traps which only the car can sense. The father discovers that the car has a mind of its own and can sense danger better than any of them. The big blow for the family comes in the end when their children are kidnapped by robbers. The clever children out-smart the gangsters. But their only hope is their very own car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Read the book to find out the rest of the story. For those who are interested, their is a movie based on this but has a different yet intriguing plot. That is a wonderful and I would recommend it. Cheers!!!!! : )