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. Except for the Potts themselves. First, the car has a name. And she tells them what it is. Then they find out that she can fly. And swim. . . . Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a car on a mission to stop a criminal gang in its tracks — and she is taking the Potts with her! Jump into the world’s most loved magical car for her first adventure.
Published just after his death in 1964, the only children's book written by James Bond creator Fleming is beloved by generations of children, and has spawned a classic film and Broadway musical. Now Fleming's original text is paired with new illustrations by noted artist Berger.
There’s no improving on perfection—in this case Fleming’s adventure story (featuring the unconventional family Pott and their magically refurbished motorcar) with the original, transcendent Burningham illustrations, first published in 1964. The confiding informality of the storyteller’s voice; the nonstop and immensely child-pleasing adventures; the spunk of young Jeremy and Jemima; and of course the ingenious personality of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang herself—all combine to make an ideal family read-aloud. This handsome fiftieth-anniversary gift edition is ... so very welcome.
—Horn Book
This is why the book holds up, 50 years after its original publication: its sense of the world as an inexplicable but also miraculous place.
—Los Angeles Times Online
