When the animals left the forest (book series)
| Children's and young people's book series | |
|---|---|
| title | When the animals left the forest |
| Original title | The Animals of Farthing Wood |
| country |  United Kingdom
|
| author | Colin then |
| illustrator | Frances Broomfield |
| translator | Ulla Neckenauer |
| publication | |
| publishing company | Various |
| First publication | 1980-1994 |
| expenditure | 5 |
When the animals left the forest is the first title in a series of books for children and young people by Colin Dann . It was first released in 1979. An abridged version of 70 pages was published in 1993 to accompany the television series of the same name .
The books tell the story of a group of forest animals whose home has been destroyed by humans. They hear about a nature reserve , the White Deer Park, where they could live safely away from the people, and decide to go on the trip together. They swear to protect one another until they reach their destination.
The original edition was published in 1979. No sequel was planned at this point. The success of the book led to more novels that tell the adventures of the animals after they reached the White Deer Park.
action
People have excavated the heather that surrounds a fictional forest ("Farthing Wood") to make room for houses. Since even the pond in the forest is filled and even the stream consists of a small trickle after a prolonged drought , the badger and fox call all the inhabitants of the forest together in the hope of finding a solution to this problem. They realize that there is no point in standing up to people and that they must therefore expect their end.
However, this changes when the toad comes to the meeting. He explains that he was caught in a jam jar and taken far away. Eventually, however, he managed to escape and followed instinct that led him home. On the way he passed a nature reserve, the White Deer Park.
The animals decide to leave their forest and go on a journey to the White Deer Park, always with the hope that they will be safe from people there.
After the animals had vowed not to eat each other during the journey and to help each other, they set off with the fox as their leader and the toad as their guide.
Problems arise very early because of the different abilities of each animal, such as how fast they are walking or what they are allowed to eat. After surviving a residential area of a city and a busy street, the animals find refuge in a marshland . The lizards decide to stay as the journey is too strenuous for them.
The animals are forced to flee from the lizards as a forest fire caused by a cigarette butt threatens them. The fate of the lizards is unknown.
After surviving the fire, the animals seek shelter in an open barn, but are held captive in the farmer's barn because he believes the fox has eaten his chickens. The pheasants , who had the task of keeping watch in front of the barn, were caught in their sleep by the farmer and immediately shot. The animals manage to dig a tunnel and seek shelter in a grove before reaching a river. As they swim across, the rabbits panic and the fox rushes to their aid. After rescuing the rabbits, he is too tired to swim and is hit by driftwood . Dachs takes over the leadership of the fox believed dead. The journey continues.
Fuchs, who had survived the accident, meets Vixen while looking for his friends. He also discovers that they are in the fox hunting territory . Vixen helps fox to find the other animals. They soon caught the attention of the hunting party. But after viper of a hunting horse bites in the foot, the chase is ended. Vixen is accepted into the group.
A city is the final obstacle in animal travel after surviving a quarry , highway, and pesticide- poisoned field.
The oath of mutual protection
The vow plays a major role in the journey and the books that follow. During the first gathering in the forest, an oath of mutual protection is made to protect the smaller animals, especially from the adder. According to Fuchs, this idea was introduced by Badger's father. In the end, they agree to continue the oath after their arrival in the White Deer Park.
Publications
The first book was originally published by publisher John Goodchild in 1979 as two separate paperback books. From the second edition onwards, they only appeared in summary as one novel.
Between 1981 and 1992 six sequels were created, which together with the first volume form the basis for the television series of the same name . The last volume, which appeared in 1994 and plays as a prequel 5 years before the start of the series, was no longer made into a film .
The first volume in German-speaking countries was published by Carl Ueberreuter in 1980 and adhered to the one-volume version of "The Animals of Farthing Wood". Another volume followed two years later, summarizing the first two sequels.
The series then switched to Ravensburger , where the previous volumes were first reprinted in four paperbacks, and then continued with two more books.
After the television series started in Germany, the series was reissued by Ueberreuter. The two books published by Ravensburger were again combined into one volume. In the following years two more volumes followed, with the last three stories.
Books of this series
- When the Animals Left the Forest, 1980 ( The Animals of Farthing Wood )
- The Escape ( Escape from Danger, 1979 )
- The trip to Deer Park ( The Way to White Deer Park, 1979 )
- What the animals experienced in the park, 1982
- Winter im Hirschpark ( In the Grip of Winter, 1981 )
- Fox War ( Fox's Feud, 1982 )
- How animals learned to fear, 1995
- Chasing the Red Shadow, 1986 ( The Fox Cub Bold, 1983 )
- The Unknown, 1990 ( The Siege of White Deer Park, 1985 )
- When the animals were struggling to survive, 1996
- The Hurricane ( In the Path of the Storm, 1989 )
- Battle for the Park ( 1992 )
- Where the Animals Were Home, 1997 ( The Adventure Begins, 1994 )