Rating: 
Summary: Wish I had such a car
Review: "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" was my favorite movie during early childhood. I was pleasantly surprised that the book tells a different story than the movie, although it conveys the same sense of adventure. Ian Fleming wrote "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" in a different style than more current children's literature, something that may bring a change of pace to a young audience. I don't think the crude illustrations by Burningham would be received in the same manner.
Rating: 
Summary: BEST BOOK EVER! (And hillarious at that!)
Review: "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is a funny story, and the most exciting book ever! I definitly liked the illustrations in the book, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang should go down in history!
Rating:
Summary: Great read aloud book.
Review: "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" was my favorite movie during early childhood. I was pleasantly surprised that the book tells a different story than the movie, although it conveys the same sense of adventure. Ian Fleming wrote "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" in a different style than more current children's literature, something that may bring a change of pace to a young audience. I don't think the crude illustrations by Burningham would be received in the same manner.
Rating:
Summary: Wish I had such a car
Review: "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" was my favorite movie during early childhood. I was pleasantly surprised that the book tells a different story than the movie, although it conveys the same sense of adventure. Ian Fleming wrote "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" in a different style than more current children's literature, something that may bring a change of pace to a young audience. I don't think the crude illustrations by Burningham would be received in the same manner.
Rating:
Summary: A fine and entertaining audiobook pick
Review: Andrew Sachs provides the unabridged reading of Fleming's classic story of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, about a car that floats, flies, and can steer itself, bringing to life the tale and using his extensive roles in TV, film and radio to add drama to the original classic story. New generations of young listeners will find Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to be a fine and entertaining audiobook pick.
Rating:
Summary: Ingenious story for children
Review: Proving he was much more than just an author of spy thrillers (and actually being a GREAT author of spy thrillers, by the way), Fleming succeeded in other genres' one-shots. In the documentary fashion, he produced the excellent "Thrilling Cities". In the suspense non-007 adventures, he wrote "The Diamond Smugglers". And for children, an inusual branch for spy-exploits writers, he created "Chitty-Chitty-Band-Bang", arguably the most notorious car in fiction. This tale is a masterclass in how to write a book for little readers, with direct fresh style and superb domestic use of English language (though his overly open descriptions can be disregarded as silly prose by some adults). The plot is a modern fable conceived (it seems) with a screen treatment in mind, as the inspired factory whistle-candy scene proves. The car itself, the family who owns it (or is it the other way around?), the peril at sea and the robbers are all delightful elements to remember. Walt Disney presented a funnily fatihful film version of this book in the sixties, starring Dick Van Dyke and produced by the same team of the 007 movies. This story is a wonderful gift for children and the little kid (or gal) inside everyone of us.
Rating:
Summary: I LOVE this book BUT...
Review: the reissue SUCKS big time!!!! I was so angry when I saw this new version that I sent off a letter to Random House, which I'll copy here since it clearly states my issue with the "new" version (and I also highly recommend that if you intend to purchase this book you find an "old" copy from the 60's):To Random House-I recently bought a few books I fondly remembered from my own childhood so I could introduce my friend's 9 year old grandson to some timeless classics. One of these books was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. When the copy I ordered from amazon.com arrived I open the package in breathless anticipation only to quickly descend into horrified shock at what I saw before me. The beautifully illustrated book I so fondly remembered was gone and in its place was paper with print, a hard cover, and a few pathetic, poorly drawn cartoons that serve only to disfigure, in an unimaginable and horrific travesty of art sense, what was once a gloriously illustrated treasure.WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?????The beautiful, original John Burningham illustrations were an integral and ***irreplaceable*** part of this book and without them you've destroyed what was a perfect marriage of art and story. Whoever had the idea to so radically diminish the beauty of this book in such an inexplicable and destructive fashion should never, ever, EVER have a hand in decisions of any importance. This reissue is a miserable failure and a nasty insult to the readers who will never experience the true joy of what was once a perfect book.SHAME ON YOU!Needless to say, this "new" copy is going in the garbage and I've ordered a used copy from 1964.
Rating: 
Summary: HUMOR IN HIGH GEAR!
Review: This book is perfect for your summer Escape into pure Fantasy--KID LITE enough to fly!!! This is a very special car--one of a kind both in chassis and heart--not to mention that it actually thinks, has feelings and gives orders to the driver when necessary. Yet totally unselfish--only with the owner's best interests in mind. This almost-defunct car which barely missed the wrecker yard shows its gratitude to the Pott family many times over, for she possesses Super-Mechanical powers which no one suspects. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (so named because of her unique starting up sounds) can even fly (just call her Aerocar) and hover over water with ease. Plus she knows when to give instructions (pull down, push up) to the driver, who admits that even he does not know what all the buttons on the dash do. When ignored, she flashes hints like "Idiot!", ensuring immediate results and prompt obedience. She even has built-in radar to track missing persons (she cares about). One day Professor Caractacus (Crackpot) Pott finally invents something clever--a candy whistle--which he sells for enough British pounds to buy his dream car. After spending most of the summer tinkering and refurbishing the rare Panther, he unveils the automotive marvel to his adoring family: trembly Mrs. Pott (Mimsie) and the twins, Jeremy and Jemima. Chitty takes charge of their summer adventures from then on, obligingly transporting them to their own private beach when the coastal road is gridlocked--a distant sandbar no less. Barely escaping the encroaching tide, the car whisks them across the Channel to France, where they discover a cave which has mysterious warnings to would-be explorers. What secrets lie buried beneath the chalky cliffs? Possibly treasure? This action-packed fantasy reads swiftly; chidlren will enjoy the way the twins outwit the badguys. Amidst all the humor and high-jinks Fleming offers pieces of scientific information gleaned during his career. He includes advice about the need for flotation de! vices in boats and other safety suggestions, but he slips them in slyly, like a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. A cute story (though my paperback version had disappointing b/w sketches) which will entertain elementary kids--a great summer read. Honk if you like kid and car heroism!
Rating:
Summary: THe best children's book ever
Review: 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!!!!! : )
Rating:
Summary: Famous!
Review: 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!!!!! : )
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