Published on Monday, August 20th, 2018
Dick used to keep rabbits and Frank, a French Lop breed (just visible in his hutch, munching his way through some greens) was a giant amongst them. Queen Charlton, the village in which Dick lived, holds an annual fête, and in 1983 Dick’s stall was a guess the rabbit’s weight competition. (reminiscent of how Babe […]
Read MorePublished on Wednesday, August 15th, 2018
“Whether you know the tale because of the film, or the book, or even if you don’t know the story at all, get yourself along to the Mercury for the big treat of the summer!” – Five star review from @British_Theatre #thatlldopig When Farmer Hoggett wins Babe, an orphaned piglet, at the village fair he […]
Read MorePublished on Sunday, July 29th, 2018
Dick King-Smith had many jobs before becoming a children’s author, including being a soldier, farmer, and primary school teacher. He taught at Farmborough Church Primary School near Bath for seven years, a job he very much enjoyed. After he became an author, he would regularly visit the school to read stories and talk to the […]
Read MorePublished on Wednesday, July 25th, 2018
Throughout his life, Dick loved to write poetry, and would often send humorous poems to his friends and family. Here’s one he wrote about his friend Jo and Jo’s dog Ben…
Read MorePublished on Wednesday, July 25th, 2018
An excerpt from Dick’s autobiography; Chewing the Cud – An unexpected life from farmyard to Hollywood. ‘Up until this point it had been an unremarkable farm dispersal sale. They had dealt with the machinery and the implements, and all the usual job-lots – old tins of paint or grease, bottles of medicine for stock, coils […]
Read MorePublished on Wednesday, July 25th, 2018
Small but very determined, Sophie is everyone’s favourite farmer-to-be! A bind-up of three classic stories featuring the inimitable Sophie, Dick King-Smith’s most adored (human!) character, beautifully re-imagined twenty years later by the witty, perceptive paintbrush of the award-winning Hannah Shaw. Sophie loves animals of all kinds, but how will she grow up to be a […]
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