Published on Sunday, September 29th, 2024
These lovely new simplified Chinese editions of All Pigs Are Beautiful and I Love Guinea Pigs arrived a few days ago! They have beautiful illustrations by Anita Jeram. Dick’s books have been translated into well over 30 languages, and are enjoyed by children all over the world. In Chinese culture, pigs are considered lucky. I […]
Read MorePublished on Wednesday, September 25th, 2024
Report by Dick’s Son Giles King-Smith: Devon is a huge county! Back in June I visited Clawton School, which is almost in Cornwall, and on September 17th I was at Bampton School, on the edge of Exmoor, and right next to the border with Somerset. Bampton is a delightful little town, surrounded by wooded hills, […]
Read MorePublished on Thursday, July 25th, 2024
A beautiful new 30th anniversary edition of Harriet’s Hare is out today! One of Dick’s very best, most touching stories, Harriet’s Hare won the Children’s Book Award in 1995. Below is a picture of Dick with that award. Everyone knows that hares don’t talk, but the hare that Harriet meets one morning in a corn […]
Read MorePublished on Tuesday, July 16th, 2024
Goldfinch Books in Alton, Hampshire was the venue on July 13th for me to give another talk about my dad Dick King-Smith’s life and career, as part of the inaugural Alton Arts Festival. In comfy chairs (or on the rug if you were a child) a group of families – and a few older DKS […]
Read MorePublished on Monday, July 15th, 2024
A beautiful new 30th anniversary edition of Harriet’s Hare is out on Thursday 25th July! “Everyone knows that hares don’t talk, but the hare that Harriet meets one morning in a corn circle in a wheatfield is rather different. It is a tourist from the planet Pars, who has taken the form of a talking […]
Read MorePublished on Friday, June 28th, 2024
By Dick’s son, Giles King-Smith. “On June 18th I went down to Clawton Primary School in mid-Devon (a few miles south of Holsworthy, if you like to look up where places are!) to talk to the children about Dick’s life and career. It’s a small rural school, with about 70 children on roll, so they […]
Read MorePublished on Tuesday, May 28th, 2024
Earlier this month, Dick’s younger daughter Liz took part in a special event in Bampton, Oxfordshire. Here is her report from the day: “Last Saturday afternoon I took part in a Children’s Literary Afternoon for the primary school in our village: the school that both my children, two of Dad’s/Dick’s grandchildren, attended. Bampton C of […]
Read MorePublished on Saturday, May 18th, 2024
For anyone in the Bampton, Oxfordshire area, all are welcome at Bampton Children’s Literary Afternoon today, 18th May from 2pm – 5pm. There will be a fun-packed afternoon of child-focused book talks and activities, and Liz Rose, Dick’s younger daughter will be reading some stories throughout the day. Join her at Bampton Primary School!
Read MorePublished on Wednesday, May 1st, 2024
In 1928, when he was 6 years old, Dick was taken to London Zoo by his parents. He drew some pictures of the animals he saw there, including Ranji the tigon (a tiger crossed with a lion), Cleopatra the python, Sam the black-maned lion and Peter Pan the baby alligator. He also drew this rather […]
Read MorePublished on Thursday, March 28th, 2024
When I was 10, Dick King-Smith, my great grandfather, came to visit my school! It wasn’t long after we had moved from London to a tiny village on the west coast of Scotland—it was the first time Grampa Dick visited us in Ardfern, and was in fact the only time he made the long journey […]
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