Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang by Ian Fleming
"Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang" is a children's adventure novel written by Ian Fleming, best known for his James Bond series. The story unfolds in three parts, primarily narrated in the third person, and follows the whimsical Potts family, consisting of twins Jeremy and Jemima, their mother Mimsie, and their eccentric father Commander Caractacus Pott. Set in England, the narrative centers around their discovery and restoration of a magical vintage car that they name Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, which possesses extraordinary abilities, including the power to fly.
The Potts family embarks on a series of exciting adventures, beginning with a picnic that leads them to explore a mysterious cave filled with dangerous traps and criminal secrets. As they navigate challenges, including a confrontation with gangsters in France, the family demonstrates ingenuity and bravery, ultimately capturing the criminals and earning rewards for their heroics. The book's charm is enhanced by John Birmingham's lively illustrations and Fleming's engaging use of onomatopoeia and descriptive language, making it an entertaining read for children of all ages. The enduring appeal of "Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang" has secured its place in libraries and popular culture since its publication, with its themes of adventure, family, and imagination resonating across generations.
Subject Terms
Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang by Ian Fleming
First published: 1964; illustrated
Subjects: Crime, family, the supernatural, and travel
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Adventure tale
Time of work: The early 1960’s
Recommended Ages: 10-15
Locale: Near Canterbury and Dover, England; and Calais, France
Principal Characters:
Commander Caractacus Pott , an eccentric inventor known as “Crackpot Pott”Mimsie Pott , his wifeJeremy , andJemima Pott , their children, eight-year-old twinsJoe the Monster , a famous criminal
Form and Content
Framed in the voice of a narrator retelling a story that he has overheard, Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang is a three-part, primarily third-person adventure narrative built around an eccentric family and their magical car. The warmth and color of the text is supported by illustrator John Birmingham’s drawings and paintings, both small and full-page, which enliven the reading experience. Much of the book’s tone is built on Ian Fleming’s use of onomatopoeia and his chatty, rambling, and informal style. His lively, descriptive language prevents any details of scientific solemnity from distracting from his primary purpose—to entertain children.
In the first part of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, the Pott family is introduced. Having a lineage going back to the Romans, the Potts live beside a lake near a turnpike outside Canterbury, England. Jeremy and Jemima are eight-year-old twins living with their mother, Mimsie, and their father, Commander Caractacus Pott, a humorous, dreamy, unsuccessful explorer and inventor known in the neighborhood as “Crackpot Pott.” They are poor, without money to buy a car, but happy.
The unconventional Commander invents “Crackpot’s Whistling Sweets,” a combination toy and candy that he sells to a candy maker, Lord Scrumptious, for one thousand pounds. This money allows the family to buy an extraordinary automobile. They discover an old wreck on its way to the junkyard, a car that was clearly once so special that the entire family falls in love with it. Its magical properties are first indicated by the license plate, “GENI.” The Commander repairs the automobile and hears its characteristic startup noises of “chitty chitty bang bang,” which becomes the car’s name. The special car can go up to one hundred miles an hour, but the Commander worries when he finds that the car has made improvements on its own at night; it now has rows of knobs that he cannot explain. On the way to a picnic, they get bogged down in slow traffic. The car shows irritation and gives the Commander instructions on the mysterious knobs. The Commander does as the car asks, and Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang suddenly grows wings and flies over the other cars.
In part 2, the adventures begin as the Potts land on a sandbar in the English Channel. After picnicking, all five family members—now including the car—doze off and nearly drown until Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang warns the others. The car becomes a hovercraft, skimming over the water to France, where they seek shelter in a cave.
The Potts explore the long cave, which reveals many traps designed to scare visitors away. Finally, they find a secret underground warehouse full of boxes containing guns, bombs, and weapons. They also find a paper revealing the vault belongs to a famous criminal named Joe the Monster. The Potts light a fuse to a bomb and drive out of the cave, leaving the explosives to blow up behind them. Joe the Monster and three of his gangsters are waiting for them, but Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang sprouts its wings and flies away to a hotel in Calais, France.
Part 3 is entirely set in France, where the gangsters track down the Potts and kidnap Jeremy and Jemima. The children are forced to participate in a robbery of a candy store. They are alert, however, and trick the gang while their parents and Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang capture Joe’s gang. The family earns a reward for their heroics, and they fly off in their magical car in search of new adventures.
Critical Context
In 1964, mystery writer Rex Stout claimed that four out of five children would love Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, most preferring to trade in their parents for Commander Pott. Library journals universally praised the book, as well as John Birmingham’s illustrations, as a story for all ages, notable for its use of descriptive language. Some reviewers believed that the story was more appropriate for boys. This attraction has largely remained intact in the decades since the book’s initial popularity, and the story in its various incarnations remains widely available in school and public libraries.