Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car

Double-07 meets the Hardy Boys, or the Bloodhound Gang. This is just a great book. If you have kids, I recommend you get it and read it to them. The later works written in modern times are too gender-diluted to have any real umph. This original work brings out the joys of real men, and real women and the fun and adventures they can have, even when they are married with children.

After you read this book to your kids yourself, I then recommend that you get an audio copy of it for everyone to enjoy on your next long road-trip. David Tennant does a wonderful job of reading the story.

My 4 and 7 year old boys and I love this book (and the 4-year-old just turned 4, so he was loving it as a 3-year-old too)! We are only half-way through it, but when I ordered it, I was hoping that it would deliver, and it has! I had never read anything by Ian Fleming before, but I was happy to see he has that wonderful narrative voice, similar to the Naria and Pooh books (as in, something like, my words, not his- "Now, you might be wondering how a car could make her thoughts known. Well, if you think about it, if you really set your mind to figuring it out, then you might..."...etc etc. --talking right to the reader as though the narrator and I know each other). He has the very long sentences (reminded me of Pooh also a bit), with fabulous punctuation (either his or the publisher's). So all of this makes it fun for me to read, in this delightful fantastical style. But then, you talk about a flying car, and bad guys, and guns, and a skeleton--my boys love it! A movie mentioning those things might scare them, but a book is manageable.

It's not a non-stop action packed book, just note that. There are a few pictures, but not a lot. My boys have been sitting for long books since they were very young and we're blessed that they have patience for it, but I definitely speed up in parts and try out voices, read to them outside, etc. to keep it moving. Really, you could sum up the action pretty quickly, but the book is really a lot more than the action anyway. It's entering the world of these characters, getting to know them, journeying with them, and getting to watch a car turn into a boat or fly or make snide remarks through the dashboard! And it's great for the young children to create their own pictures in their heads. There are a few books after this first one, and my kids already are excited about reading those. And they ask me to read Chitty Chitty every day. I look forward to showing them the movie at some point too, so they can compare.

Way back in 1964 I came home from second grade one afternoon to find a plain brown box addressed to me from The Weekly Reader Book Club. I was already hopelessly addicted to reading so I wasted no time opening the box. Inside was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car, by Ian Fleming. I didn't know who Ian Fleming was and didn't really care, I was too excited that I had a new book to read.

And what a book it was! The Pott family: Commander Caractacus Pott, his wife Mimsie, and their twins Jeremy and Jemima lead a carless life in their English country home. Commander Pott is an eccentric inventor who comes up with a new candy that brings him enough money that the family can buy their first car. They hunt high and low until one day they come across the wreck of an old racing car. They buy it and Commander Pott carefully restores it. When the family goes out for their first ride unusual things begin to happen and it becomes apparent that the car (named Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the start up noises it makes), is magical. The family flies and floats in their car, comes across a band of gangsters, and help to foil a dastardly plot against a French candymaker.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang had quite an impact on me. I believe its British characters and settings helped shape my Anglophilia, which manifested itself at an early age. I appreciated the humor, which was typically understated and much more sophisticated than the usual childhood fare. My vocabulary expanded to include words like idiot (that one got me into some trouble) and conglomeration. It's one of those childhood books that remains an affectionate favorite for the rest of its reader's life. To me the original story is far superior to the very different (though appealing in its own way) movie that was made of it in the late 1960s.

Now we have this new edition with new illustrations, more colorful than the original's (which I still own and treasure) but with just as much magic. I suspect that most people my age who were also fortunate enough to read the original edition will always prefer it, but this new edition makes it accessible to a new generation, and that is indeed wonderful.

[[ASIN:0763666661 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is the Ultimate Magical Car]], looking out for her people in all kinds of fabulous adventures.

Having never seen the movie, I was unable to make comparisons; also, I had not seen the original drawings, which have been negatively described. I cared about neither. I was just enthralled.

As would a rescued dog, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang shows her appreciation for having been rescued by the inventor, Mr. Pott. He and his wife are open-minded, lovely people who support their children's sense for fun.

This book is full of action, and great for young kids. No vampires, no bullying: just a lot of fun.

Enjoy!

Such fun! One of my favorite childhood books, but I think I only read it a couple of times then. Reading it again (decades later), it’s easy to see the allure. The nice characters. The build-up in increasing magical capabilities. From a time before adventure stories became so over the top.

Without a doubt, one of the best childrens' books ever.

And as an adult, I just reread it, and it still one of the best, exciting books I have ever read. Mr. Fleming sure knows how to pull both young kids and adults into his world of fantasy. Yay, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!

brand new condition

This book was exactly as described and arrived in perfect condition. My son is loving reading it before he watches the classic movie.

Great book to read with our grandson. He loved the book.

this book is written in old English and defiantly not my type of reading, I tried reading it to my 6 year olds and we all fell asleep after a page or two. Yawn!!!!