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The Animals of Farthing Wood #7
Battle for the Park
'I've been looking for him all over the Park. He's just not around any more, Vixen. He's gone.'
When Plucky the fox disappears, the other animals soon realise that he isn't the only one missing from the White Deer Park nature reserve. And the Warden, whom the animals have learnt to trust, is responsible!
The animals are frightened and confused - and then another threat appears. A stelthy gang of rats, led by the cunning Bully is invading White Deer Park . . .
When Plucky the fox disappears, the other animals soon realise that he isn't the only one missing from the White Deer Park nature reserve. And the Warden, whom the animals have learnt to trust, is responsible!
The animals are frightened and confused - and then another threat appears. A stelthy gang of rats, led by the cunning Bully is invading White Deer Park . . .
160 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 1992
About the author
Colin Dann
102 books87 followersColin 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 5, 2020
The animals of Farthing Wood and their descendants, now living for many generations in White Deer Park, must confront new troubles in this seventh and final novel devoted to their adventures. Plucky the fox, the grandson of Bold and the great-grandson of the Farthing Wood Fox, befriends Dash the hare, and the two become inseparable. Then Plucky disappears, along with Weasel and a number of other animals. The animals feel confused and betrayed when they discover that the Warden, whom they'd always viewed as one of the few good humans, is behind the disappearances. At the same time, a mob of rats invades the park, determined to turn it into their territory, setting off a major battle...
Published in 1992, the year before the animated television series, based upon The Animals of Farthing Wood books, aired for the first time, Battle for the Park was not the last book to be published about these characters. In fact, many others followed. But other than the prequel - The Adventure Begins - which was published in 1994, the rest of the books were abridged versions of the seven main novels, or adaptations based around the television series. This, then, is the conclusion of the story. I found it engaging, and appreciated the fact that, although the Warden's motivations are benign - he is - the animals don't necessarily understand or agree with his actions. The battle with the rats provides excitement, but although I certainly understand not wanting a horde of them to invade, sometimes I feel that they are a species of animal too easily demonized, so I was a bit surprised to see that from Dunn. All in all, a good conclusion to the series, one which I am happy to have read. I'd like to track down the prequel at some point, as well as some of Colin Dunn's other books, but sadly, most of his work doesn't appear to be available here in the states. Alas. Recommended to fans who have read previous entries of the series.
Published in 1992, the year before the animated television series, based upon The Animals of Farthing Wood books, aired for the first time, Battle for the Park was not the last book to be published about these characters. In fact, many others followed. But other than the prequel - The Adventure Begins - which was published in 1994, the rest of the books were abridged versions of the seven main novels, or adaptations based around the television series. This, then, is the conclusion of the story. I found it engaging, and appreciated the fact that, although the Warden's motivations are benign - he is - the animals don't necessarily understand or agree with his actions. The battle with the rats provides excitement, but although I certainly understand not wanting a horde of them to invade, sometimes I feel that they are a species of animal too easily demonized, so I was a bit surprised to see that from Dunn. All in all, a good conclusion to the series, one which I am happy to have read. I'd like to track down the prequel at some point, as well as some of Colin Dunn's other books, but sadly, most of his work doesn't appear to be available here in the states. Alas. Recommended to fans who have read previous entries of the series.
November 12, 2021
This is the seventh book in the 'Animals of Farthing Wood' series (or eighth if you take the prequel, written after the other books, as the first), and last. It is also, in my opinion, the least enjoyable.
The plot follows the few remaining original Farthing Wood animals and their descendants as they fight to defend their home, White Deer Park, from an invading horde of rats - there seem to have been no rats in the Park prior to this, which is a highly unlikely starting point. I was deeply disappointed that the author, who can usually be relied upon to be fairly accurate and impartial with regards to the information he gives about wild animals, resorted in this book to every commonly-held prejudice on the subject of the rat, an animal which has already had more than its share of bad press. The fact that rats are in fact very clean and intelligent animals, and that they are as much a part of the ecosystem as any other creature, is completely ignored here - Dann hits them with every negative stereotype, portraying them as dirty, vicious, disease-ridden beasts intent on taking over White Deer Park and driving out all its other inhabitants.
The story itself, regardless of the species involved, is simply a rather uninteresting string of violence and does not hold the imagination the way the previous books did, giving the sense that the author is beginning to run out of ideas, and as a fan of the 'Farthing Wood' books since childhood, I found this a most unsatisfactory end to the series. Since either of the two preceding books could have served as the last, I feel that perhaps the author should have quit while he was ahead, rather than to milk such a successful series to the point that it ends on such a low note.
The plot follows the few remaining original Farthing Wood animals and their descendants as they fight to defend their home, White Deer Park, from an invading horde of rats - there seem to have been no rats in the Park prior to this, which is a highly unlikely starting point. I was deeply disappointed that the author, who can usually be relied upon to be fairly accurate and impartial with regards to the information he gives about wild animals, resorted in this book to every commonly-held prejudice on the subject of the rat, an animal which has already had more than its share of bad press. The fact that rats are in fact very clean and intelligent animals, and that they are as much a part of the ecosystem as any other creature, is completely ignored here - Dann hits them with every negative stereotype, portraying them as dirty, vicious, disease-ridden beasts intent on taking over White Deer Park and driving out all its other inhabitants.
The story itself, regardless of the species involved, is simply a rather uninteresting string of violence and does not hold the imagination the way the previous books did, giving the sense that the author is beginning to run out of ideas, and as a fan of the 'Farthing Wood' books since childhood, I found this a most unsatisfactory end to the series. Since either of the two preceding books could have served as the last, I feel that perhaps the author should have quit while he was ahead, rather than to milk such a successful series to the point that it ends on such a low note.
January 29, 2016
One of my favourite Farthing Wood tales, in which the park residents battle with invading rats and also an overpopulation problem that results in humans taking many of their number to a different nature reserve. The Farthing Wood spirit is very much in evidence even though the original members of the journey still surviving are all elderly, in particular the friendship between Plucky the fox and Dash the hare is a touching one. Fans of the TV show will realize straight away how much darker and grimmer this book is, not shying away from the violence of the rats in the least. The deaths of Sinuous, Mossy and Toad bring a tear to the eye - particularly when Adder sees Toad's body afterwards and remarks that he wished he had been spared the sight - it's Adder, more than anybody, who suffers the harshest losses of his friends and mate. I was vastly releived though, to be spared the death of Badger (though the previous books had been heavily hinting his time was coming) and especially Fox and Vixen.
New characters don't really make an appearance, with Frond the badger being the only, but likable, one. The story is very much back to our old friends and their descendants, and it's heartening to see them pull together one final time. This is a series that should be looked back on as a classic, timeless and heartening.
New characters don't really make an appearance, with Frond the badger being the only, but likable, one. The story is very much back to our old friends and their descendants, and it's heartening to see them pull together one final time. This is a series that should be looked back on as a classic, timeless and heartening.
September 3, 2016
In Battle for the Park, we see an ending to the series that none of us could have expected. The rats have discovered the paradise of a human free park, and they intend to take over and move on the protected and rarer species. In the process they kill some of my favorite characters (there was one death in the TV series that had me weeping, I've never been able to watch that episode again!) The book is sad, but at the same time there is a new beginning at the end that I've always loved the concept of.
I searched high and low for these books, and finally ordered them from thriftbooks. It was a good experience, although they took a month to ship from the US to Australia. -sigh- The waiting times for things in Australia is pretty much the only thing I dislike about living here (and flies in Summer. Also heat in general, haha) they were in great condition however, and I'm going to cherish finally owning all these books.
I searched high and low for these books, and finally ordered them from thriftbooks. It was a good experience, although they took a month to ship from the US to Australia. -sigh- The waiting times for things in Australia is pretty much the only thing I dislike about living here (and flies in Summer. Also heat in general, haha) they were in great condition however, and I'm going to cherish finally owning all these books.
February 16, 2017
Not dire like book no. 5 in the series, but about as boring as I found the first two. The climax was particularly laboured, with some potential, if only Owl and Weasel's relationship had been built from the start; I've always said this author wasn't much good at building character. Speaking of which, the rats have none, and I don't like the generally racist attitude towards them from the author and other characters. Okay, have them as antagonists, but the whole thing could have been handled better.
I liked Dash for a while; I wonder if someone told Colin Dann he ought to have a female character who wasn't just somebody's girlfriend, or he thought of it himself. Either way, there came a point when Dash might just as well have been Plucky's girlfriend, so I went off her. There was some sexism included in the poor handling of the rats as well. Dann does have shortcomings as a writer; the phrase 'This was a symbolic action' is sure to wipe out any effect from the previous sentence.
I liked Dash for a while; I wonder if someone told Colin Dann he ought to have a female character who wasn't just somebody's girlfriend, or he thought of it himself. Either way, there came a point when Dash might just as well have been Plucky's girlfriend, so I went off her. There was some sexism included in the poor handling of the rats as well. Dann does have shortcomings as a writer; the phrase 'This was a symbolic action' is sure to wipe out any effect from the previous sentence.
July 25, 2009
This and The Siege of White Deer Park were my two favourites. Extra exciting and adventurous! Holy terror but those rats were scary.
August 9, 2020
For a children's book I had so many feelings throughout this story! A character dies (I won't say who) and honestly I felt really upset! I wasn't even aware I was that attached to these characters but apparently I was?! We get to meet the descendants of many of the original family and it was so cute to see them age and become more mature and find mates.
I don't want to go into too much detail with this review because it is only a short book so I don't want to spoil anything. However I will say as this is the finale of the book there is a major battle at the end (not a spoiler since it is called 'battle for the park'). Which definitely adds a lot of tension to the story and I found I was really nervous for all the characters! Even though it is a children's book I did find some parts tense and I found I really cared for these characters and didn't want any of them to die!
I do think this was a really well done ending to the series, I would definitely say you need to have read at least one other book in the series (probably more than one to be honest) in order to get the most out of it. I really enjoyed this book, it was really well written and I was connected to all the characters. At no point did I find the story laggy but it definitely picked up the pace at the end. Overall a really quick and enjoyable story, I would definitely recommend.
I don't want to go into too much detail with this review because it is only a short book so I don't want to spoil anything. However I will say as this is the finale of the book there is a major battle at the end (not a spoiler since it is called 'battle for the park'). Which definitely adds a lot of tension to the story and I found I was really nervous for all the characters! Even though it is a children's book I did find some parts tense and I found I really cared for these characters and didn't want any of them to die!
I do think this was a really well done ending to the series, I would definitely say you need to have read at least one other book in the series (probably more than one to be honest) in order to get the most out of it. I really enjoyed this book, it was really well written and I was connected to all the characters. At no point did I find the story laggy but it definitely picked up the pace at the end. Overall a really quick and enjoyable story, I would definitely recommend.
August 1, 2024
So I finally got round to finishing the last of the Farthing Wood and I have to say....it wasn't that good.
I mean sure the characters that we have followed throughout the books were (almost)all great and it was a nice ending for most of them but the story itself, that revolved around rats trying to take over the park, was very poor.
First half was kind of boring and while the second half picked up it did annoy be a bit. In all the previous books fighting and killing and hunting was always shown as just animals doing what animals do. No good or bad, just nature. Sure you had bad characters like Scarface and Trey but never a whole species. This book goes against that and simply says, "All rats bad. All rats are dirty,smelly and all carry diseases."
There is even a part where the rats fight against a snake to stop it from eating their helpless babies and are portrayed as evil for doing so. Like WTF Colin Dann?
Also characters like Fox and Weasel saying that the rats had no place in the park because they came from outside of it was just a little bit rich.
Now don't get me wrong the book isn't utter rubbish and I'm glad I read it so that Iv'e now read them all but the previous book was so much better and honestly I really wish the series had just ended there.
I mean sure the characters that we have followed throughout the books were (almost)all great and it was a nice ending for most of them but the story itself, that revolved around rats trying to take over the park, was very poor.
First half was kind of boring and while the second half picked up it did annoy be a bit. In all the previous books fighting and killing and hunting was always shown as just animals doing what animals do. No good or bad, just nature. Sure you had bad characters like Scarface and Trey but never a whole species. This book goes against that and simply says, "All rats bad. All rats are dirty,smelly and all carry diseases."
There is even a part where the rats fight against a snake to stop it from eating their helpless babies and are portrayed as evil for doing so. Like WTF Colin Dann?
Also characters like Fox and Weasel saying that the rats had no place in the park because they came from outside of it was just a little bit rich.
Now don't get me wrong the book isn't utter rubbish and I'm glad I read it so that Iv'e now read them all but the previous book was so much better and honestly I really wish the series had just ended there.
April 6, 2024
I remember not enjoying the third arc in the show - besides the very emotional Badger's that.. But this book redeemed itself a little bit. It's the final book in this series and I enjoyed it a lot- just not as much as some of the previous entries. Toad and Mossy's death hit hard- they've been such an important part of the group - however I do feel like Mossy's death was unresolved/glossed over which was rather sad considering how much everybody seemed to love him.
The final battle was great and the rest of the book was okay too. I did enjoy the animals working together to rescue Weasel from the new park and Plucky's escape was interesting too.
All in all I liked this book a lot and it was a pretty decent finish to the series.
The final battle was great and the rest of the book was okay too. I did enjoy the animals working together to rescue Weasel from the new park and Plucky's escape was interesting too.
All in all I liked this book a lot and it was a pretty decent finish to the series.
May 12, 2021
Finally!!! Done! Sweet ending.
I don’t understand why in the show some characters die but others don’t that’s the opposite in the books. 2 I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to die in this book. But one who lived in very happy about. But ya. 🤷🏼♀️
I don’t understand why in the show some characters die but others don’t that’s the opposite in the books. 2 I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to die in this book. But one who lived in very happy about. But ya. 🤷🏼♀️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2022
The final mainline Farthing Wood book, Battle for the Park sees the aging Fox and his companions engaged in a brutal struggle against an invading horde of rats, and serves as a worthwhile, if not particularly stellar, capstone to the series. [6/10]
September 21, 2009
Colin Dann has mastered writing books for children - the quality of writing is great and the story engaging. Enjoyable even for the adult reliving their childhood.
March 2, 2015
A really exciting book all about the younger animals as they face the disappearance of their friends and neighbors. Lovely adventure and fun.
January 26, 2017
It limps pretty aimlessly towards what I suppose is a fairly fitting conclusion.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews