Out Today!

Published 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 […]

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Giles King-Smith At Alton Arts Festival

Published 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 […]

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Harriet’s Hare

Published 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 […]

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Clawton School, Devon

Published 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 […]

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Bampton Children’s Literary Afternoon

Published 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 […]

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Bampton Church of England Primary School

Published 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!

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London Zoo, 1928

Published 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 […]

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Hungerford Primary School

Published 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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Dick’s Birthday

Published on Wednesday, March 27th, 2024

102 years ago today, on 27th March 1922, Dick King-Smith was born in Bitton, Gloucestershire. Here he is, at home, with Dodo the Dachshund.

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Read Me A Story

Published on Monday, February 26th, 2024

Being read to is a great pleasure, whether you’re young, old, or somewhere in between! Did you know that well over 50 of Dick’s stories are available as audiobooks? Some stories may be familiar to you, and some might not! The stories are read by some brilliant actors, such as Andrew Sachs, June Whitfield and […]

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Dick King-Smith site illustration