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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That’ll Do Pig
Published on Wednesday, January 31st, 2024
Did you know that the film Babe, based on Dick King-Smith’s story The Sheep-Pig was nominated for an amazing 7 Academy Awards (Oscars)?! Released in 1995, the film received widespread critical acclaim and is still fondly remembered by many. The seven Academy Awards that Babe was nominated for were Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting […]
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School Visits
Published on Wednesday, January 24th, 2024
Over the years, Dick visited a great many schools. He really enjoyed reading some of his stories to the children, answering their questions and giving away some of his books for their libraries. Although we no longer have Dick, Dick’s family have carried on this tradition, with Dick’s son Giles King-Smith, elder daughter Juliet King-Smith, […]
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Batts School In Witney
Published on Saturday, November 11th, 2023
A report by Dick’s son Giles King-Smith: On October 18th I visited the Batts School in Witney, Oxfordshire, at the invitation of Jane Woodage, who teaches there, and who (quite a long time ago) used to babysit our children in Corsham. It was a lovely visit, to talk about my Dad, and about “Ambrose Follows […]
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Discover Children’s Story Centre
Published on Tuesday, October 31st, 2023
A little while ago, Dick’s great-granddaughter Josie Rogers travelled to London for a special event. Here is her report on the visit… “The Discover Children’s Story Centre is in Stratford, not so far from where I was born. It’s exactly the kind of place I would have loved as a child, with different rooms representing […]
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Two Little Piglets Visit The Cinema
Published on Wednesday, October 11th, 2023
A few weeks ago, two little pigs from Kew Little Pigs Farm in Amersham, Buckinghamshire attended a special cinema screening of Babe at The Garden Cinema in London’s Covent Garden. Based on Dick’s story The Sheep-Pig, Babe tells the tale of a piglet who learned to herd sheep, and through hard work and politeness, wins […]
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Burford Literary Festival
Published on Friday, October 6th, 2023
A few weeks ago, Dick’s son Giles went to Burford Literary Festival to talk about his dad. Here’s his report – It was great to be invited to take part in the Burford Literary Festival, organised by Kim Harvey of the excellent Mad Hatter Bookshop. The picture shows me talking about Dick to children from […]
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Bath Children’s Literature Festival
Published on Thursday, September 28th, 2023
What happens when an ordinary rabbit has an extra-ordinary sense of smell? Join Josie Rogers at Bath Children’s Literature Festival to hear how she completed Ambrose Follows His Nose, a story started (but never finished) by her great-grandfather, Dick King-Smith! Book your ticket now! And that’s not all! To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Dick […]
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Mitchell Library Visit
Published on Wednesday, September 27th, 2023
Hello, Josie here again – one of Dick’s great-grandchildren and also the co-author of Ambrose Follows His Nose. Part of the reason I was asked to work on Ambrose by our family was my background in English literature and creative writing, which I studied at Glasgow University. While I was studying, I used to spend […]
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