Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

The story, without spoilers

Caractacus Pott, an inventor, spends his money on a battered old racing car. Once the family restore it, the car starts doing things no car should: it takes to the air and to the water, and seems to decide where the family ought to go.

Jeremy and Jemima Pott and their parents set off on trips across England and to France that soon bring them up against a gang of crooks. The children need to be observant and brave, and the family has to work together as the adventure gets riskier.

Can I start here?

Yes; it has nothing to do with Bond and stands entirely alone. It suits reading aloud with younger children.

What stands out

Fleming developed it from bedtime stories for his son, Caspar. The original drawings were by John Burningham; a 2024 paperback has new illustrations by Thomas Gilbert.

• Written after Fleming's 1961 heart attack.
• Audible UK has David Tennant's reading and a separate BBC full-cast dramatisation.

Content notes

Suggested age About 5 to 12. Comic crime, peril and a kidnapping. Younger children may want an adult reading with them.

Book and film

The 1968 musical film with Dick Van Dyke keeps the flying car but changes many of the characters and events. Frank Cottrell-Boyce later wrote three sequels, beginning with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again (2011).

Where it is set

• England
• France

Main characters

Caractacus Pott, Mimsie Pott, Jeremy Pott, Jemima Pott.