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).

Main characters

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

Commander Caractacus Pott and the family

Commander Caractacus Pott is a retired naval commander and inventor, the father of Jeremy and Jemima and the husband of Mimsie. The family’s shared curiosity is central to the book. Pott can make and mend things, but the adventure also depends on the children noticing danger and on everyone responding together when their unusual car changes what is possible.

Fleming’s surname is Pott, without the final s often associated with the film family. That small distinction is useful when comparing the book and musical: familiar names and the same flying car do not make the two versions identical. Read the family as the centre of Fleming’s story, rather than looking for an adult spy thriller disguised as a children’s adventure.

Our reason for recommending it as a family read is the way practical invention and fantasy meet. The car begins as something worn out that needs work; its extraordinary behaviour then makes the family’s ordinary decisions much more consequential. An adult reading aloud can pause over what Jeremy and Jemima have noticed, invite predictions, and let the children discover the next change before explaining it.

Meet the family behind the car

The original adventure belongs to the Pott family: Caractacus, Mimsie and their children, Jeremy and Jemima. That family name is worth noticing if you know the musical first. The publisher describes Caractacus as a retired naval commander and inventor; the money from his whistling sweets helps him buy the car that changes their lives. Mimsie is part of the family adventure, rather than a missing parent whose place needs to be filled.

For a first reading, concentrate on how the family responds to each unexpected event. The useful question is not simply what Chitty can do next, but what the people inside her will do with the opportunity. An unusual machine can get its passengers into trouble as well as out of it. This makes the car a good subject for conversation with children: would you trust a vehicle that sometimes seems to have its own plans?

A first encounter with Fleming outside Bond

You do not need to know anything about James Bond to read this book. There is no intelligence-service backstory to learn and no earlier mission to finish. Our recommendation is to approach it as a family adventure in its own right, rather than as a children's introduction to 007. The link is the author, not an obligation to move from this story into his adult thrillers.

Readers who already enjoy Fleming can use it as a change of pace. Consider the importance of movement, mechanical detail and danger in the story, then compare your response with a Bond novel you know. That is a reading exercise. The pleasure is in finding what interests you across an author's different kinds of writing.

For background on the writer, follow our Ian Fleming biography. For a broader view of his catalogue, the books hub separates the Bond sequence from his other writing. Neither guide needs to be read before you open Chitty.

Illustrations and choosing a copy

Illustration is an important part of the book's publishing history. John Burningham supplied the original artwork. The publisher's sixtieth-anniversary editions offered a hardback with his illustrations and a paperback illustrated by Thomas Gilbert. Those are different visual presentations of Fleming's story, so the illustrator's name is a more useful starting point than choosing solely by the picture on the cover.

If you are selecting a family copy, look at a sample spread when one is available. Check the size of the type, the space around the text and how comfortable the book feels to hold open. A copy for an adult to read aloud may serve a different purpose from one a child carries and reads independently. Our editions guide explains why format and publication details matter.

For a gift, check the actual listing rather than assuming every edition has the same pictures. A familiar title may refer to Fleming's text, a later sequel or a book connected with an adaptation. The author and illustrator credits help you identify what you are choosing. The edition information already listed on this page keeps the available formats together.

Reading aloud and talking about the adventure

Our suggested approach is to read a little before deciding how long each session should be. Some children want to follow the excitement straight through; others prefer time to look at a picture or ask a question. There is no need to turn the story into a lesson. A pause to guess what the car will do next can be enough to keep a shared reading lively.

The existing age suggestion on this page is a guide, not a guarantee about every child's response. Criminals, danger and kidnapping are part of the adventure. An adult choosing for a sensitive reader can preview those sections and decide whether to read together. Being a children's book does not mean that every moment is gentle, and familiarity with the film does not tell you exactly how the book will feel.

After a chapter, try an open question: which family member noticed something useful, or what would you have done in the same situation? Let the answer come from the story rather than requiring a right response. The content and age guide also helps distinguish this family book from Fleming's adult fiction.

After the final page

Our next-reading suggestion is to decide what you want more of: the car, Fleming, or the contrast between books and films. Frank Cottrell-Boyce's later Chitty adventures offer the first route. Start with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, remembering that this is another writer continuing the idea, not an additional story written by Fleming.

If you want to explore adaptations, use our books and films guide and compare the versions after reading. Notice which family relationships and incidents have changed, rather than measuring the book by how closely it follows a musical made later. If you want more Fleming, choose from the wider catalogue according to the reader's age and interests; finishing Chitty is not a reason to hand a child an adult Bond thriller.