Children's book (maybe German) I read in about 1995, fox and badger need to dig a tunnel to escape from farmer guarding their burrow's exit

Question

I'm looking for a children's book that I read some time between 1997 and 1999, but it wasn't a new book so I guess it might have been written before 1990. I must have been about 8-10 years old when I read it.

The book I read was in German, I don't know if it has been released in any other language, I can't remember the author.

The story was about a fox family and a badger family possibly sharing a burrow or living close together and a farmer that wants to get rid of them because he's worried about the fox stealing from him. Some time during the story the farmer then starts guarding their burrow's exit and plans to shoot them as soon as they try to leave, so they're stuck underground. Trying not to starve, the fox and the badger team up (if I remember correctly) and start digging a new tunnel/exit. At this point my memory gets a bit sketchier - if I'm not completely mistaken, they dig this tunnel straight to the farmer's home in order to get revenge? Or they don't and stealing from the farmer comes up some time else during the storyline.

I can't remember if they manage to escape in the end or if there are any casualties, but as it is a children's book, it's probably on the lighter side.

Answer 1

This is almost certainly the English book Fantastic Mr Fox by famed children's author Roald Dahl.

I don't have the text to hand, so I'm going to quote from the Wikipedia plot summary.

The story was about a fox family and a badger family possibly sharing a burrow or living close together

The story revolves around an anthropomorphic, tricky, and clever fox named Mr. Fox who lives underground beside a tree with his wife and four children

Mr. Fox runs into his friend Badger and asks him to accompany him on his mission

A farmer that wants to get rid of them because he's worried about the fox stealing from him. Some time during the story the farmer then starts guarding their burrow's exit and plans to shoot them as soon as they try to leave, so they're stuck underground.

Tired of being outsmarted by Mr. Fox, the farmers devise a plan to ambush him as he leaves his burrow, but they succeed only in shooting off his tail.

The trio of farmers are ridiculed for their persistence, so they decide to surround Mr. Fox's hole and wait until he is hungry enough to come out.

Trying not to starve, the fox and the badger team up (if I remember correctly) and start digging a new tunnel/exit.

Mr. Fox devises a plot to acquire food. Working from Mr. Fox's memory of the routes he has taken above ground, he and his children tunnel through the ground and wind up burrowing to one of Boggis' four chicken houses.

They dig this tunnel straight to the farmer's home in order to get revenge? Or they don't and stealing from the farmer comes up some time else during the storyline.

Aided by Badger, the animals tunnel to Bunce's mighty storehouse for ducks, geese, hams, bacon and carrots - as noted by one of the Small Foxes, the Rabbits will require vegetables - and then to Bean's secret cider cellar.

The only difference from your memory is that there is no "revenge" beyond the stealing and the farmers are left watching the hole, night after night, to no avail.

There was an animated film adaptation released in 2009.