Dick King-Smith, British author (The Sheep-Pig, The Water Horse) died he was , 88

 Ronald Gordon King-Smith OBE ,^[1] better known by his pen name Dick King-Smith, was a prolific English children's author, best known for writing The Sheep-Pig, retitled in the United States as Babe the Gallant Pig, on which the movie Babe was based died he was , 88. He was awarded an Honorary Master of Education degree by the University of the West of England in 1999^[2] and appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours.^[3][4]

(27 March 1922 – 4 January 2011)

 Life

King-Smith grew up in the West Country, where his family ran several paper mills, and was educated at Marlborough College.^[1] King-Smith 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 and author. King-Smith's first book was The Fox Busters, published in 1978. He was one of Britain's most prolific authors and wrote over a hundred books, which have been translated into twelve languages. 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 3 children and 14 grandchildren.^[1] Myrle died in 2000, and King-Smith subsequently married Zona Bedding, a family friend.^[5]
He had many pets including rats, mice, ornamental pheasants, dachshunds, geese and guinea fowl, and bred guinea pigs and English rabbits. 


He presented a feature on animals on TV-AM's children's programme Rub a Dub Dub.^[6] and also appeared regularly (in a similar capacity) on the similarly named Saturday morning TV series Rub-a-Dub Tub (1983).
King-Smith died at his home near Bath, Somerset, on 4 January 2011 at the age of 88.^[7]

Books

• The Fox Busters (1978)
• Daggie Dogfoot retitled in the US as Pigs Might Fly (1980)
• Magnus Powermouse (1982)
• The Queen's Nose (1983)
• The Sheep-Pig (1983)
• Saddlebottom (1985)
• Noah's Brother (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)
  • The Jolly Witch (1990)
  • Mrs. Jollipop (1996)
  • Mrs. Jolly's Brolly (1998)
• The Cuckoo Child (1991)
• 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)
• Harry's Mad (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)
• Winter Wonderland (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 Roundhill (2000)
• Spider Sparrow (2000)
• Just in Time (2000)
• The Magic Carpet Slippers (2000)
• Julius Caesar's Goat (2000)
• Mysterious Miss Slade (2000)
• Billy the Bird (2000)
• Lady Lollipop (2000)
• Back to Front Benjy (2001)
• The Great Sloth Race (2001)
• Fat Lawrence (2001)
• Funny Frank (2001)
• Chewing The Cud (Autobiography) (2001)
• Titus Rules! (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)

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