Dick King-Smith

Born March 27, 1922 in Gloucestershire, England

It clearly is not the case that you have to have a fascinating life in order to be a wonderful writer, but surely it must help. Dick King-Smith (see his booklist) is a wonderful English writer who certainly has had a fascinating life. He has written more than hundred books primarily at the Independent Reader level, almost always about animals and is probably most famous for Babe: The Gallant Pig, (titled The Sheep-Pig in the UK), which was made into an excellent and popular movie.

He is a prominent children's author in the UK but though there are a good number of his titles in print in the US, he is unfortunately often much less well known here. I suspect even fewer know much about the wending path that brought him to writing children's books.

King-Smith was born in the interwar years in the West Country of England, in Bitton, Gloucestershire, in 1922. He early demonstrated a deep love of wildlife and animals - "As a child I had pets - rabbits, tortoises, rats, mice - and a toy farm which I played with endlessly. It was a pretty eccentric collection - I never minded much what went with what, so I included a giraffe among the dairy herd - but it absorbed me completely."

His father was a businessman in the paper industry and King-Smith enjoyed a comfortable childhood. He attended one of the pre-eminent public schools, Marlborough College, in his teens and finished school just as World War broke out. He worked for a year on a farm as part of the overall British effort to increase agricultural production and then joined one of Britain's most storied and senior regiments, the Grenadier Guards in 1941. He married his childhood sweetheart in 1943. King-Smith served with distinction in the Italian campaign, being mentioned in dispatches on a number of occasions. He was severely wounded in fighting there and was mustered out as a Lieutenant in 1946.

Married and with the first of his three children, King-Smith turned his attention towards immediately earning a livelihood. Following his childhood love, he focused on farming. An opportunity arose for him to run the farm which supplied his father's paper factory with eggs and milk. Thus started a rather eccentric farming career of twenty years over which King-Smith claims income to have fallen every year. This was not for lack of understanding and fondness of animals. His Achilles heel was the quantitative side of the business, shoals upon which a later career would founder as well.

In 1967, at forty-five years of age, financial reality forced him to leave the farm and turn his hand to some other livelihood. He tried in turn travelling salesman (asbestos suits for firefighters) followed by factory work for three years (a shoe factory) before deciding he needed to complete a long interrupted education. He attended Bristol University and graduated in 1975 with a degree in Education. From 1975 to his retirement in 1982, he taught elementary and middle grade classes. It was during this period that he began to try his hand at writing.

As he self-deprecatingly encapsulated his career path to Heather Vogel Frederick in an article in Publisher's Weekly (September 30, 2002) "What it boils down to is that I tried six what you might dignify by the title of careers, and five of them were flops, really. I started out as a soldier, and I wasn't a terribly good soldier, then I became a farmer and, when that packed in, I tried my hand at being a travelling salesman. This went on until at last I found something I was good at - when in doubt, try again!"

His very first story, The Fox Busters, published in 1978, arose from an experience during his farming years. As he related to Julia Eccleshare during an interview (The Guardian November 10, 2001), "I'd had the ideas for it 20 years earlier in the middle of the farming era, when a passing fox had murdered a whole lot of my chickens. One day, I said to myself, 'I'll have a go at writing a story where the weak are victorious over the strong, where the chickens vanquish the foxes.'"

In the Publisher's Weekly article, King-Smith related what happened following the positive reception of his first book. "My first children's book, The Fox Busters, was a classic case of pride coming before a fall. I went into a Bristol bookshop and saw it there and thought, 'By golly, I'm a children's author! I'll write another and won't they be pleased!' So I wrote a second one, and my editor said, 'It's not very exciting, is it? Can't you ginger it up a bit?' So I made [another], and she said, 'I can't publish this, it's too bloodthirsty!' Then I wrote a pig book [Babe: The Gallant Pig], and finally got it right."

Almost all King-Smith's books involve animals. Animal stories have historically fallen into four categories. There are those in which the animals are simply humans in animal form - they think like, act like and speak like people. Examples range from the most ancient stories such as Aesop's Fables to classics such as Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit, Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows Else Holmelund Minarik's Little Bear and Russel Hoban's Frances the Badger stories.

Then there are stories in which there is an element of fantasy - the animals are animals but can communicate with one another (as in Babe: The Gallant Pig or E.B. White's Charlotte's Web)or can communicate with people (E.B. White's Stuart Little, ) or from whose point of view the story is narrated such as Anna Sewell's Black Beauty.

Then there are stories about animals as animals. While there may be an element of authorial speculation about animal motivation and or "feelings", significant authorial effort is made to objectify the story. Classics in this ilk are Eric Knight's Lassie and Sheila Burnford's The Incredible Journey, Jim Kjelgaard's Big Red and Marguerite Henry's Misty of Chincoteague.

Finally there are the books that are essentially well-written reference books - non-fiction and focusing on the facts of the animal: where they live, how they live, what they eat, etc.

In his late blossoming career that has now stretched across thirty years and more than a hundred titles, King-Smith has ranged across the whole spectrum though his biggest hits tend to be the animal story with a trace of fantasy.

He is in firm company among his native compatriots and, outside of E.B. White, I cannot think of any directly comparable authors of similar stature in the US. In the UK there would of course be Beatrix Potter and Kenneth Grahame but also more contemporaneously James Herriot, Richard Adams (another WWII veteran), and Gerald Durrell. All are characterized by a deep knowledge and personal experience with animals and the land and whose writing about the animals, while respectful and loving, could never be characterized as maudlin or overly sentimental.

One of the wonderful things about Dick King-Smith is that all of his books are likely to be appreciated and some of them will certainly be deeply loved. Our daughter particularly enjoyed his Sophie series of books and of course Babe: The Gallant Pig is destined to enter the pantheon of memorable children's books. As a parent though, you can be confident that with virtually any King-Smith book, you will find a well considered story, humorously told by one of nature's natural gentlemen. His tales usually have a positive moral in them somewhere but they are always first and foremost an entertaining story.

As Julia Eccleshare summed it up in her interview with Dick King-Smith:

"As book followed book with alarming speed - he gave up teaching for writing, though he never expected to make a living out of it - the qualities of his books began to surface. Helped by years of classical education in the best tradition of the English public-school system, his stories have heroic resonances, as well as being written in perfectly shaped classical sentences, which makes them a joy to read - and especially out loud.

More than that, they are written with the humorous, civilised view of human or animal interaction so reflective of King-Smith himself. This reached its apogee in The Sheep-Pig, his sixth book, which won the Guardian Children's Book Prize long before it was made into the hit film Babe. How does a runty little piglet get to be a great sheep-pig? It's simple: intelligence and good manners - not a bad message to put across in any story."

Independent Reader

Babe by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Maggie Kneen Highly Recommended

Pigs Might Fly by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Mary Rayner Suggested

Harry's Mad by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jill Bennett Suggested

Martin's Mice by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jez Alborough Suggested

Jenius by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Brian Floca Suggested

Ace by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Lynette Hemmant Suggested

The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith Suggested

The Invisible Dog by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Roger Roth Suggested

All Pigs Are Beautiful by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Anita Jeram Suggested

Harriet's Hare by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Roger Roth Suggested

Three Terrible Trins by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Mark Teague Suggested

I Love Guinea Pigs by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Anita Jeram Suggested

The Stray by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Wayne Parmenter Suggested

Smasher by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Richard Bernal Suggested

A Mouse Called Wolf by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jon Goodell Suggested

Mysterious Miss Slade by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Ann Kronheimer Suggested

The Roundhill by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Sian Bailey Suggested

Lady Lollipop by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jill Barton Suggested

Funny Frank by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by John Eastwood Suggested

Titus Rules! by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by John Eastwood Suggested

Hairy Hezekiah by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Nick Bruel Suggested

The Nine Lives of Aristotle by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Bob Graham Suggested

The Golden Goose by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Ann Kronheimer Suggested

The Catlady by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by John Eastwood Suggested

Dinosaur Trouble by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Nick Bruel Suggested

The Mouse Family Robinson by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Nick Bruel Suggested

The Twin Giants by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Mini Grey Suggested

Under the Mishmash Trees by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Nick Bruel Suggested

Dick King-Smith Bibliography

The Fox Busters by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jon Miller 1978
Daggie Dogfoot by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Mary Rayner 1980
The Mouse Butcher by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Wendy Smith 1981
Magnus Powermouse by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Mary Rayner 1982
The Queen's Nose by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jill Bennett 1983
The Sheep-Pig (Babe: The Gallant Pig) by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Mary Rayner 1983
Harry's Mad by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jill Bennett 1984
Saddlebottom by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Alice Englander 1985
Lightning Fred by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Michael Bragg 1985
Noah's Brother by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Ian Newsham 1986
Pets for Keeps by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Alan Saunders 1986
H. Prince by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Martin Honeysett 1986
Yob by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Abigail Pizer 1986
E.S.P. by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Peter Wingham 1986
Dumpling by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jo Davies 1986
Farmer Bungle Forgets by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Martin Honeysett 1986
Town Watch by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Catherine Bradbury 1987
Country Watch: Animals to Look out for in the Countryside by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Catherine Bradbury 1987
Tumbleweed by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Ian Newsham 1987
The Hodgeheg by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Linda Birch 1987
Cuckoobush Farm by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Kazuko 1987
Friends and Brothers by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Susan Hellard 1987
Martin's Mice by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jez Alborough 1988
George Speaks by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Judy Brown 1988
Jenius by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Peter Firmin 1988
Emily's Legs by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Katinka Kew 1988
Water Watch by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Catherine Bradbury 1988
Dodo Comes to Tumbledown Farm by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by John Sharp 1988
The Greatest! by Dick King-Smith 1988
The Toby Man by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Ian Newsham 1989
Alice and Flower and Foxianna by Dick King-Smith 1989
Beware of the Bull! by Dick King-Smith 1989
Henry Pond Poet by Dick King-Smith 1989
Dodos Are Forever by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by David Parkins 1989
Sophie's Snail by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Claire Minter-Kemp 1989
The Trouble with Edward by Dick King-Smith 1989
Ace: The Very Important Pig by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Lynette Hemmant 1990
Dick King-Smith's Alphabeasts by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Quentin Blake 1990
The Jolly Witch by Dick King-Smith 1990
Paddy's Pot of Gold by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by David Parkins 1990
The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by David Parkins 1990
The Whistling Pig by Dick King-Smith 1990
Caruso's Cool Cats by Dick King-Smith 1991
Horace and Maurice by Dick King-Smith 1991
Lightning Strikes Twice by Dick King-Smith 1991
Sophie's Tom by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by David Parkins 1991
The Cuckoo Child by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Leslie Bowman 1991
The Animal Parade: A Collection of Stories and Poems by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jocelyn Wild 1992
Blessu and Dumpling by Dick King-Smith 1992
Farm Tales by Dick King-Smith 1992
The Finger Eater by Dick King-Smith 1992
The Ghost at Codlin Castle by Dick King-Smith 1992
The Guard Dog by Dick King-Smith 1992
Jungle Jingles by Dick King-Smith 1992
Pretty Polly by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Marshall Peck 1992
Triffic Pig Book by Dick King-Smith 1992
The Topsy-turvy Storybook by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by John Eastwood 1992
Dragon Boy by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jocelyn Wild 1993
Horse Pie by Dick King-Smith 1993
A Narrow Squeak, and Other Animal Stories by Dick King-Smith 1993
Sophie Hits Six by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by David Parkins 1993
Lady Daisy by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jan Naimo Jones 1993
The Invisible Dog by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Roger Roth 1993
Find the White Horse by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Larry Wilkes 1993
All Pigs Are Beautiful by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Anita Jeram 1993
The Merrythought by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Mike Reid 1993
Uncle Bumpo by Dick King-Smith 1993
Bobby the Bad by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Julie Anderson 1994
Connie and Rollo by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Judy Brown 1994
The Excitement of Being Ernest by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Nigel McMullen 1994
The Swoose by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Maire Corner 1994
Happy Mouseday by Dick King-Smith 1994
Harriet's Hare by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Valerie Littlewood 1994
Mr. Potter's Pet by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Hilda Offen 1994
Sophie in the Saddle by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by David Parkins 1994
Three Terrible Trins by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Mark Teague 1994
The Schoolmouse by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Phil Garner 1994
Sophie Is Seven by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by David Parkins 1995
I Love Guinea Pigs by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Anita Jeram 1995
King Max the Last: A Second Hodgeheg Story by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Birch 1995
Warlock Watson by Dick King-Smith 1995
All Because of Jackson by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by John Eastwood 1995
The Stray by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Wayne Parmenter 1996
Dick King-Smith's Animal Friends: Thirty-one True Life Stories by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Anita Jeram 1996
Sophie's Lucky by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by David Parkins 1996
Clever Duck by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Mike Terry 1996
Hogsel and Gruntel and Other Animal Stories by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Liz Graham-Yooll 1996
Godhanger by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Andrew Davidson 1996
Mrs. Jollipop by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Frank Rodgers 1996
Treasure Trove by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Paul Howard 1996
Omnibombulator by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jim and Peter Kavanagh 1996
Smasher by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Terry Michael 1997
Animal Stories by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Terry Michael 1997
The Spotty Pig by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Mary Wormell 1997
A Mouse Called Wolf by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jon Goodell 1997
Puppy Love by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Anita Jeram 1997
What Sadie Saw by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Julie Anderson 1997
The Crowstarver by Dick King-Smith 1998
Mr. Ape by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Roger Roth 1998
How Green Was My Mouse by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Robert Bartelt 1998
The Merman by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Roger Roth 1999
The Witch of Blackberry Bottom (Mysterious Miss Slade) by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Ann Kronheimer 1999
The Roundhill by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Sian Bailey 2000
Lady Lollipop by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Jill Barton 2001
Chewing the Cud: An Extraordinary Life Remembered by the Author of Babe the Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Harry Horse 2001
Billy the Bird by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Susie Jenkin Pearce 2001
Funny Frank by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Roger Roth 2002
Titus Rules by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by John Eastwood 2003
Traffic: The Extraordinary Pig by Dick King-Smith 2003
Hairy Hezekiah by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Nick Bruel 2003
The Nine Lives of Aristotle by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Bob Graham 2003
The Golden Goose by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Ann Kronheimer 2005
The Catlady by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by John Eastwood 2007
Dinosaur Trouble by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Nick Bruel 2008
The Mouse Family Robinson by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Nick Bruel 2008
The Twin Giants by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Mini Grey 2008
Under the Mishmas Trees by Dick King-Smith and illustrated by Nick Bruel 2008