To celebrate Dick King-Smith’s birthday on 27 March we have put together 10 of his books, that we love!
The Sheep-pig is one of Dick King-Smith’s most famous tales. It shot to further fame when the film adaptation, Babe, was released in 1995. ‘Why can’t I learn to be a Sheep-Pig?’ When Babe, the little orphaned piglet, is won at a fair by Farmer Hogget, he is adopted by Fly, the kind-hearted sheep-dog. Babe is determined to learn everything he can from Fly. He knows he can’t be a sheep-dog. But maybe, just maybe, he might be a sheep-pig.
Max is a hedgehog who lives with his family in a nice little home, but unfortunately on the wrong side of the road from the Park, with its beautiful lily pond, and more importantly its juicy slugs, worms and snails! The busy road is a dangerous barrier but Max notices that humans seem to cross it quite easily. If they can, why can’t hedgehogs? So Max sets out on a quest to find a safe way to reach the Park.
The story begins with a mysterious egg washed up on a Scottish beach, the morning after a great storm. Kirstie and her brother Angus find the egg and take it home. The next day it has hatched into a tiny greeny-grey creature with a horse’s head, warty skin, four flippers and a crocodile’s tail. The baby sea monster soon becomes the family pet – but the trouble is, it just doesn’t stop growing!
Snail on board! Siegfried loves to explore. One day his explorations take him on a big adventure – from his home in the grass, to the airport, on to an aeroplane and all the way to America! There he makes some very important friends, Mr Ambassador and Mr President, finds a new home in a sandwich box – and also meets the lovely Peggy Sue.
Jackson the unusual rabbit, dreams of going to sea and sails to Atlanta in search of a new life. Lady Muriel lives alone with lots and lots of cats. But Muriel’s cats are no ordinary cats – they are people she once knew reincarnated in feline form. A story of a scruffy little mongrel with a grand ambition – to be a guard dog. Hairy Hezekiah – Hezekiah lives a quiet life, and seems to be the only animal in the zoo without a friend. So he decides to escape and go on the run! Horse Pie – Jenny the donkey finds herself unwelcome at the Old Horses’ Home, but when rustlers start looking for horses to make into pies, it’s up to Jenny to save the day.
Full of facts and feelings about the real world, the picture books in this series encourage children to think, feel, imagine and wonder as they learn.
When Mary finds her little brother Billy seemingly floating above his bed, with his nose, tummy and toes touching the ceiling, she is astounded. Never before has anyone in Mary’s family been able to fly – even though their name is Bird!
Nosy, a young pterodactyl makes friends with Banty, a young Apatosaurus, despite the disapproval of their parents. When the pterodactyls save Banty from T-Rex, the adult dinosaurs become great friends as well. Nosy comes up with a plan to teach T-Rex a lesson.
Flightless, helpless and often, frankly, more than a little silly, chickens are no match for the cunning, merciless foxes stalking their coop. Or are they? Thanks to a careless farmer and generations of determined foxes, the chickens on Foxearth Farm have evolved into quick-witted, long-legged, high flying fox dodgers. Then, just a week after a vicious fox ambush in the water trough, three sisters are hatched. And Ransome, Sims and Jefferies are no ordinary chicks: they grow up determined to fight back. They are the legendary Fox Busters.
Aristotle, the witch’s kitten, is so adventurous that it’s just as well cats have nine lives! Luckily the good witch Bella Donna is always on hand to help him out. Follow his fur-raising adventures in this delightful tale.
Hampshire Libraries 