Dick King-Smith

Ronald Gordon King-Smith OBE, Hon.MEd (27 March 1922 – 4 January 2011), was a prolific English writer of children's books, primarily using the pen name Dick King-Smith. He is best known for The Sheep-Pig (1983), or Babe the Gallant Pig in the US. It was adapted as the movie Babe (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 in 1999 and appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours. Dick and Myrle had three children – two daughters (Juliet and Lizzie) and one son (Giles). Dick King-Smith's first book, The Foxbusters, was published in 1978.

Dick King-Smith grew up in the West Country, his father was Capt. Ronald King-Smith D.S.O., M.C., who ran several paper mills. Dick was educated at Beaudesert Park School and Marlborough College. He was a soldier in World War II, serving with the Grenadier Guards in Italy, and a farmer for 20 years before he became a teacher at Farmborough Primary School and author. King-Smith's first book was The Fox Busters, published in 1978 while he was living and teaching in Farmborough. He was one of Britain's most prolific authors and wrote over a hundred books. In later life he lived in Queen Charlton, a small farming village near Bristol, contributing to the maintenance and conservation of the local area as the vice-president of the Avon Wildlife Trust. He married his first wife, Myrle, in 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's children's programme Rub-a-Dub Tub (1983).

King-Smith died at his home near Bath, Somerset, on 4 January 2011 at the age of 88. He was survived by three children, 14 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

King-Smith and The Sheep-Pig won the 1984 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a once-in-a-lifetime book award judged by a panel of British children writers.

• The Fox Busters (1978)
• Daggie Dagfoot; US title, Pigs Might Fly (1980)
• Magnus Powermouse (1982)
• The Queen's Nose (1983)
• The Sheep-Pig(1983); US title, Babe: The Gallant Pig
• Noah's Brother (1984)
• Harry's Mad (1984)
• Lightning Fred (1985)
• Saddlebottom (1985)
• Dumpling (1986)
• The Hodgeheg (1987)
• Tumbleweed (1987)
• Farmer Bungle Forgets (1987)
• Friends and Brothers (1987)
• Cuckoobush Farm (1987)
• George Speaks (1988)
• The Mouse Butcher (1988)
• Emily's Legs (1988)
• Water Watch (1988)
• Dodo Comes to Tumbledown Farm (1988)
• Tumbledown Farm – The Greatest (1988)
• The Jenius (1988)
• Ace (1990)
• 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)
• 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)
• Hogsel and Gruntel (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)
• Martin's Mice (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 Trins (1995)
• Warlock Watson (1995)
• All Because of Jackson (1995)
• The Stray (1996)
• Clever Duck (1996)
• Dirty Gertie Macintosh (1996)
• Smasher (1996)
• Godhanger (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)
• 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)

• Harry's Mad (1993–1996): TV series based on Harry's Mad
• The Queen's Nose (1995–2003): TV Series based on The Queen's Nose
• Babe (1995): film based on The Sheep-Pig a.k.a. Babe, the Gallant Pig
• Babe: Pig in the City (1998): film sequel using King-Smith characters
• Foxbusters (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