Dick King Smith
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Ronald Gordon King-Smith OBE (27 March 1922 – 4 January 2011), was an English writer of
children's books A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...
, primarily using the pen name Dick King-Smith. He is best known for ''
The Sheep-Pig ''The Sheep-Pig'', or ''Babe, the Gallant Pig'' in the US, is a children's novel by Dick King-Smith, first published by Gollancz in 1983 with illustrations by Mary Rayner. Set in rural England, where King-Smith spent twenty years as a farmer, i ...
'' (1983). It was
adapted In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...
as the movie ''
Babe Babe or babes may refer to: * Babe, a term of endearment * A newborn baby * An attractive (especially female) person People Nickname * Babe Adams (1882–1968), American Major League Baseball pitcher * Babe Barna (1917–1972), American Maj ...
'' (1995) and translations have been published in fifteen languages. He was awarded an Honorary Master of Education degree by the
University of the West of England The University of the West of England (also known as UWE Bristol) is a public research university, located in and around Bristol, England. The institution was know as the Bristol Polytechnic in 1970; it received university status in 1992 and ...
in 1999 and appointed
Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours.


Early life, military service

King-Smith was born on 27 March 1922 in
Bitton Bitton is a village and civil parish of South Gloucestershire in England, to the east of the Greater Bristol area on the River Boyd. It is in South Gloucestershire. The parish of Bitton has a population of 9,307, and apart from the villag ...
,
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...
and grew up in the
West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Gloucesters ...
, his father was Captain Ronald King-Smith DSO MC, who ran several
paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...
s. King-Smith was educated at
Beaudesert Park School Box is a small village in Gloucestershire, England. It is in the civil parish of Minchinhampton, and is located south of Stroud and west of Cirencester. Minchinhampton is about away and Nailsworth is about away. Box has a population of a ...
and
Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...
. He was a soldier in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, serving with the
Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...
in Italy, and a farmer for 20 years before he became a teacher at
Farmborough Farmborough is a small village and civil parish, south west of Bath in Somerset, England. It straddles both the A39 and A368 roads. The parish has a population of 1,035. History The Farmborough Hoard of Iron Age coins was found in the ...
Primary School and author. King-Smith's first book was ''The Fox Busters'', published in 1978 while he was living and teaching in
Farmborough Farmborough is a small village and civil parish, south west of Bath in Somerset, England. It straddles both the A39 and A368 roads. The parish has a population of 1,035. History The Farmborough Hoard of Iron Age coins was found in the ...
. In 1941, at the age of 19, King-Smith enlisted as a recruit in the Grenadier Guards. As a young platoon commander in 1943, he took part in the Salerno Landings in
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. On arrival in Salerno, his platoon fought their way up Italy, along with many others, which took months. On 12 July 1944, King-Smith was seriously injured by a British hand grenade thrown by a German soldier. He was only saved from certain death because he was sheltering behind a tree, which took the brunt of the explosion. He suffered extensive sharp wounds, and later, when he was back in England, a cerebral embolism, either of which could have killed him.


Personal life

King-Smith met his wife, Myrle on
Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
1936. They were both 14. They were married at St. Mary's Church, Bitton, on February 6 1943. They had three children: Juliet, Giles and Liz. Myrle died in 2000, and King-Smith subsequently married Zona Bedding, a family friend. He presented a feature on animals on
TV-AM TV-am was a TV company that broadcast the ITV franchise for breakfast television in the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 until 31 December 1992. The station was the UK's first national operator of a commercial breakfast television franchis ...
's children's programme ''
Rub-a-Dub-Tub ''Rub-a-Dub-Tub'' was a children's television series broadcast in the United Kingdom on the breakfast television channel TV-am between 1983 and 1984. In addition to the main regular presenters, the programme also featured appearances by some of ...
'' (1983).


Death

King-Smith died on 4 January 2011 at his home near
Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...
at the age of 88. He was survived by his 3 children, 14 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild.


Awards

King-Smith and ''The Sheep-Pig'' won the 1984
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annual recognised one fiction book written for children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conferred upon the author ...
, a once-in-a-lifetime book award judged by a panel of British children writers.


Works

* ''The Fox Busters'' (1978) * ''Daggie Dogfoot''; US title, ''Pigs Might Fly'' (1980) * ''
Magnus Powermouse ''Magnus Powermouse'' is a children's novel by Dick King-Smith, first published by Gollancz in 1982 with illustrations by Mary Rayner. Plot Magnus Powermouse was a large mouse, who gains supermouse strength fattened on patent Porker Pills. Re ...
'' (1982) * ''The Mouse Butcher'' (1982) * ''
The Queen's Nose ''The Queen's Nose'' is a children's novel by Dick King-Smith, first published by Gollancz in 1983 with illustrations by Jill Bennett. Set in England, where King-Smith lived, it features a girl who can use a fifty pence coin to make wishes. ...
'' (1983) * ''
The Sheep-Pig ''The Sheep-Pig'', or ''Babe, the Gallant Pig'' in the US, is a children's novel by Dick King-Smith, first published by Gollancz in 1983 with illustrations by Mary Rayner. Set in rural England, where King-Smith spent twenty years as a farmer, i ...
'' (1983); US title, ''Babe: The Gallant Pig'' * ''Harry's Mad'' (1984) * ''Lightning Fred'' (1985) * ''Saddlebottom'' (1985) * ''Dumpling'' (1986) * ''E.S.P.'' (1986) * ''Noah's Brother'' (1986) * ''The Hodgeheg'' (1987) * ''Tumbleweed'' (1987) * ''Country Watch'' (1987) * ''Town Watch'' (1987) * ''Farmer Bungle Forgets'' (1987) * ''Friends and Brothers'' (1987) * ''Cuckoobush Farm'' (1987) * ''George Speaks'' (1988) * ''Emily's Legs'' (1988) * ''Water Watch'' (1988) * ''Dodo Comes to Tumbledown Farm'' (1988) * ''Tumbledown Farm – The Greatest'' (1988) * ''The Jenius'' (1988) * '' Martin's Mice'' (1988) * '' Sophie'' ** ''Sophie's Snail'' (1988) ** ''Sophie's Tom'' (1991) ** ''Sophie Hits Six'' (1991) ** ''Sophie in the Saddle'' (1993) ** ''Sophie is Seven'' (1994) ** ''Sophie's Lucky'' (1995) * ''Ace'' (1990) * ''Alice and Flower and Foxianna'' (1989) * ''Beware of the Bull'' (1989) * ''The Toby Man'' (1989) * ''Dodos Are Forever'' (1989) * ''The Trouble with Edward'' (1989) * ''Jungle Jingles'' (1990) * ''Blessu'' (1990) * ''Paddy's Pot of Gold'' (1990) * ''Alphabeasts'' (1990) * ''The Water Horse'' (1990) * ''The Whistling Piglet'' (1990) * ''Mrs. Jolly (Series)'' ** ''The Jolly Witch'' (1990) ** ''Mrs. Jollipop'' (1996) ** ''Mrs. Jolly's Brolly'' (1998) ** ''The Jolly Witch Trilogy'' (2000) * ''The Cuckoo Child'' (1991) (illustrated by Leslie W. Bowman) * ''The Guard Dog'' (1991) * ''Lightning Strikes Twice'' (1991) * ''Caruso's Cool Cats'' (1991) * ''Dick King-Smith's Triffic Pig Book'' (1991) * ''Find the White Horse'' (1991) * ''Horace and Maurice'' (1991) * ''Lady Daisy'' (1992) * ''Pretty Polly'' (1992) * ''Dick King-Smith's Water Watch'' (1992) * ''The Finger Eater'' (1992) * ''The Ghost at Codlin Castle and Other Stories'' (1992) * ''Super Terrific Pigs'' (1992) * ''The Invisible Dog'' (1993) * ''All Pigs Are Beautiful'' (1993) * ''The Merrythought'' (1993) * ''The Swoose'' (1993) * ''Uncle Bumpo'' (1993) * '' Dragon Boy'' (1993) * ''Horse Pie'' (1993) * ''Connie and Rollo'' (1994) * ''The School Mouse'' (1994) * ''Triffic: A Rare Pig's Tale'' (1994) * ''Mr. Potter's Pet'' (1994) * ''Harriet's Hare'' (1994) * ''The Excitement of Being Ernest'' (1994) * ''I Love Guinea Pigs'' (1994) * ''Three Terrible Trins'' (1994) * ''Happy Mouseday'' (1994) * ''Bobby the Bad'' (1994) * ''The Clockwork Mouse'' (1995) * ''King Max the Last'' (1995) * ''Omnibombulator'' (1995) * ''The Terrible Trains'' (1995) * ''Warlock Watson'' (1995) * ''All Because of Jackson'' (1995) * ''The Stray'' (1996) * ''Clever Duck'' (1996) * ''Dirty Gertie Macintosh'' (1996) * ''Smasher'' (1996) * ''Godhanger'' (1996) * ''Hogsel and Gruntel'' (1996) * ''Treasure Trove'' (1996) * ''Mixed-Up Max'' (1997) * ''What Sadie Saw'' (1997) * ''The Spotty Pig'' (1997) * ''A Mouse Called Wolf'' (1997) * ''Robin Hood and His Miserable Men'' (1997)(illustrated by John Eastwood) * ''Thinderella'' (1997) * ''Puppy Love'' (1997) * ''The Merman'' (1997) * ''Round About 5'' (1997) * ''Mr. Ape'' (1998) * ''How Green Was My Mouse'' (1998) * ''The Big Pig Book'' (1998) * ''Creepy Creatures Bag'' (1998) * ''The Robber Boy'' (1998) * ''The Crowstarver'' (1998) * ''Pig in the City'' (1999) * ''Poppet'' (1999) * ''The Witch of Blackberry Bottom'' (1999) * ''The Roundhill'' (2000) * ''Spider Sparrow'' (2000) * ''Just in Time'' (2000) * ''The Magic Carpet Slippers'' (2000) * ''Julius Caesar's Goat'' (2000) * ''Mysterious Miss Slade'' (2000) * ''Lady Lollipop'' (2000) * ''The Biography Center'' (2001) * ''Back to Front Benjy'' (2001) * ''The Great Sloth Race'' (2001) * ''Fat Lawrence'' (2001) * ''Funny Frank'' (2001) * ''Chewing the Cud'' (2001) (autobiography) * ''Titus Rules!'' / ''Titus Rules OK!'' (2002) * ''Billy the Bird/All Because of Jackson'' (2002) * ''Story Box'' (2002) * ''The Golden Goose'' (2003) * ''Traffic'' (2003) * ''Clever Lollipop'' (2003) * ''The Adventurous Snail'' (2003) * ''The Nine Lives of Aristotle'' (2003) * ''Aristotle'' (2003) * ''Just Binnie'' (2004) * ''The Catlady'' (2004) * ''Under the Mishmash Trees'' (2005) * ''Hairy Hezekiah'' (2005) * ''Dinosaur Trouble'' (2005) * ''Nosy'' (2005) * ''The Mouse Family Robinson'' (2007)


Adaptations

*''
Harry's Mad ''Harry's Mad'' was a children's television programme that was shown on CITV in the United Kingdom between 4 January 1993 and 11 March 1996. It is based upon a book written by Dick King-Smith. Steve Attridge originally adapted the book and wrote ...
'' (1993–1996): TV series based on ''Harry's Mad'' *''
The Queen's Nose ''The Queen's Nose'' is a children's novel by Dick King-Smith, first published by Gollancz in 1983 with illustrations by Jill Bennett. Set in England, where King-Smith lived, it features a girl who can use a fifty pence coin to make wishes. ...
'' (1995–2003): TV Series based on ''The Queen's Nose'' *''
Babe Babe or babes may refer to: * Babe, a term of endearment * A newborn baby * An attractive (especially female) person People Nickname * Babe Adams (1882–1968), American Major League Baseball pitcher * Babe Barna (1917–1972), American Maj ...
'' (1995) and its sequel: film based on ''
The Sheep-Pig ''The Sheep-Pig'', or ''Babe, the Gallant Pig'' in the US, is a children's novel by Dick King-Smith, first published by Gollancz in 1983 with illustrations by Mary Rayner. Set in rural England, where King-Smith spent twenty years as a farmer, i ...
'' *''
Foxbusters ''The Foxbusters'' is a British animated TV series very loosely based on the Dick King-Smith book ''The Foxbusters''. It was made by Cosgrove Hall, and consists of two series of thirteen 11-minute episodes each, made between 1999 and 2000. The ...
'' (1999–2000): TV cartoon loosely based on ''The Fox Busters'' *'' The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep'' (2007): film based on ''The Water Horse'' book


References


External links

*
Dick King-Smith Bibliography
at Bookseller World
Dick King-Smith
at Fantastic Fiction, with photo portrait and book covers * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:King-Smith, Dick 1922 births 2011 deaths 20th-century British novelists 20th-century English novelists 21st-century British novelists 21st-century English novelists British Army personnel of World War II British children's writers Grenadier Guards soldiers Guardian Children's Fiction Prize winners Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Beaudesert Park School People educated at Marlborough College People from Bitton