Most Popular Books by Dick King-Smith

Nine-year-old Ned faces a lot of teasing when he decides to keep a Victorian doll that speaks only to him.

A beautiful story for older readers written almost twenty years ago in which bestselling author Dick King-Smith creates a fascinating picture of rural life at the time of the Second World War. Discovered as a foundling in a lambing pen, Spider Sparrow grows up surrounded by animals. From sheep and horses to wild otters and foxes, Spider loves them all, even the crows he must scare away from the newly sown wheat. Crowstarving was the idea job for Spider - he was on his own, yet never alone for all around him were animals of one sort or another. Amazingly, every animal who meets Spider implicitly trusts the young boy. This magical rapport is Spider''s unique gift, but nothing else in his tough life is so easy.

Mr. Potter''s boring life changes considerably after buying an unusual mynah bird.

A hair-raising cross-country adventure as Lubber the dog and Squintum the cat join forces with a racing pigeon and an Irish setter to search for Lubber''s home. Winner of the Children''s Book Award.

''Sparkling humour and wonderful characters are Dick King-Smith''s trademarks'' - Books for Your Children An exciting new publication in celebration of the centenary of his birth, a recently discovered funny and poignant animal story by Dick King-Smith, completed by his great granddaughter, Josie Rogers. Ambrose may seem like an ordinary rabbit but he has the most extraordinary sense of smell. He can detect any aroma from sweets to kittens - and even niffy foxes! He lives with his family in a hutch and is visited every day by Biddy, who is desperate to take him home to be her pet - if only her mum and dad would let her. Biddy trains Ambrose to become a tracker rabbit - which comes in very handy when Ambrose''s little sister Roly goes missing. But when Biddy''s family find themselves in real danger, can Ambrose''s sensitive nose save the day?

Roly, poly, pudgy bellies. Little wagging tails. Funny, bumbling puppies are among life''s most wonderful friends. King-Smith, who introduced young readers to the delights of pigs in "All Pigs Are Beautiful, " and to the joys of guinea pigs in "I Love Guinea Pigs" now praises the pleasures of puppies in this new book. Full color.

Small but very determined, Sophie loves animals and is going to be a farmer when she grows up. She has herds of insects and acquires a snail, a rabbit, a cat and a dog. She also befriends a pony called Bumblebee and a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig.

A piglet destined for eventual butchering arrives at the farmyard, is adopted by an old sheep dog, and discovers a special secret to success.

A piglet destined for eventual butchering arrives at the farmyard, is adopted by an old sheep dog, and discovers a special secret to success.

When she is not allowed to have a pet parrot, Aligail teaches a barnyard hen to talk.

Harry isn''t very pleased when he inherits a parrot from Great-Uncle George, but Maddison is no ordinary parrot. Not only can he talk, but you can have conversations with him and he and Harry quickly become great friends - but then Maddison is stolen ... Will he and Harry ever be reunited?

Five-year-old Sophie is a very determined individual. That single-minded determination convinces her parents to let her keep a stray cat and comes in handy when dealing with her first experiences at school. The award-winning author of Sophie''s Snail has written a delightful first chapter book ideal for reading aloud or alone.

Aristotle, a little white kitten, goes to live with a witch in an old cottage, where he finds so many opportunities for risky adventures that he soon has only one life left.

Mrs Barleylove is horrified to discover that her latest litter contains a dag - a weakling of a piglet with strangely misshapen feet. But after his miraculous escape from an early and ignominious death at the hands of the pigman, the dag assumes a unique and favoured position in the sties.

BAD-TEMPERED RUNAWAY CAMEL. Funny, fast, and satisfying--a hilarious yarn from the "master of animal stories."* Tired of his lonely life at the zoo, Hezekiah--an ornery, very hairy Bacrian camel--busts out and heads across country. His adventure leads him to an eccentric (and equally hairy) aristocrat, a new life at a wildlife park, and company in the form of a female camel. Laughs, action, short chapters, and a genuine appreciation of the animal world make this a satisfying choice for newly independent readers. Nick Bruel''s antic black-and-white drawing add to the fun. *The Guardian (London)

Dinosaurs learn about friendship, teamwork, and prejudice in this hilarious yarn for newly independent readers, from a master of children’s animal stories. Sometimes the most unlikely pairs make the best of friends . . . All pterodactyls know that flying dinosaurs are superior, and all apatosauruses know that any dinosaur with only two legs is surely second-class. Nosy, a pterodactyl, and Banty, an apatosaurus, become great friends even though their parents have forbidden them to play together. With Nosy’s fast flying and Banty’s smarts, the two take on the biggest predator on the Great Plain, and conquer their parents’ prejudices in one great adventure. “The story is a good choice for dinophiles who have moved beyond picture books and are ready for easy chapter books.” —School Library Journal

"This accessible chapter book tells the story of Charlie Muffin, a quiet man who works as a taxidermist and mouse breeder. When he tells his friend Merry that it would be impossible to breed a green mouse, she challenges him to try, implying that she''ll marry him if he can do it. Charlie tries, succeeds, and marries Merry. Together they care for the famous green mouse, Adam Muffin, and raise a daughter, Cherry Muffin. . . . This offbeat, gently humorous story flows along happily and promises to carry young readers along with it. Another appealing book from the author of "Babe: The Gallant Pig and many other animal stories." --"Booklist

A young girl''s life with her father on their farm in England is changed when she befriends a talking hare that is really a shape-changing alien.

Recounts the experiences of an orphaned family in Edwardian times.

When seventy-five-year-old Henny Hickathrift runs away from the old people''s home, she meets five children and their parents who welcome her into their family.

Within the walls and under the floorboards of Orchard Farmhouse live three mischievous mouse brothers (a.k.a. the trins) who create constant commotion. "With his customary panache, King-Smith grabs the reader''s attention from his opening sentence. And, sustaining his understated wit and rollicking pace throughout this breezy novel, the author never loosens his grip."--Publisher''s Weekly. Illustrations. "From the Trade Paperback edition."

Emily was like her 99 brothers and sisters, until she won all the eight-legged races at spider sports. People grew suspicious and counted her legs. She had 10 But there''s something special about Emily''s legs that will change her life for ever.

Babe the pig is befriended by the farmer''s dog, who teaches Babe how to herd sheep.

Lorsque Harry vit pour la première fois Madison, il fit la grimace ! Pourquoi son oncle d''Amérique, l''oncle Georges, lui avait-il donc légué un perroquet africain, âgé de quarante ans et muet ? Harry eut la réponse à cette question quand Madison commença à l''aider à faire ses devoirs, confia à sa mère le secret de succulents gâteaux et fit faire à son père de formidables progrès aux mots croisés... Car Madison était loin d''être muet !