Showing results by author "Dick Smith" in All Categories

With an autobiographical foreword from the author, this collection traces Dick King-Smith's journey from boy to farmer, from soldier to favourite children's author - always in the company of his irrepressible animal friends. From Dodo the film-star Daschund to a cabbage-eating shark; from a night of badger-biffing to a tortie cat with 104 kittens; from the cat who thinks he s one of the dogs to a dog who fosters orphaned kittens...wherever Dick King-Smith goes, curious animals are sure to follow.

Farmer Skint and his family have fallen on hard times at Woebegone Farm until their goose lays a golden egg. With the birth of Joy the Golden Goose, the fortune of the Skint family begins to change. But what will happen when people find out about their golden-feathered friend? How long can they keep Joy a secret?

'If only that horrible cat didn't live here!' When Beaumont Robinson, an inquisitive young mouse, is nearly killed by the cat, his family decide there is only one thing to do. They must emigrate! And so they all set out on a midnight adventure to find a new house."

Fitzherbert, the son of a goose and a swan, gets tired of being teased for being a swoose and leaves the farm, ending up in Windsor Castle, where he becomes a favourite of the recently widowed Queen Victoria.

Farmer Tubbs takes a real shine to one particular pig, so much so that he can't bear to send him to market with the other young pigs. Soon Ace is befriended by the farmyard animals including Nanny the goat and Clarence, the cunning white cat. Together they help Ace to find his place in the farmhouse, ousting Megan, the farmer's aristocratic corgi, from her queenly seat – the best parlour chair.

There are six of the Bone children and, when their parents are drowned on the Titanic, everyone wonders what will become of them. But Binnie is determined not to let the family be split up, and she stands up to all the well-meaning offers from relatives to take charge. Her love holds the family together through its ups and downs. Then the First World War starts - and Binnie's brothers are desperate to go and fight for their country.

When Farmer Buzzard's collie, Kay, has four puppies, he doesn't know what to do. Three are fine puppies, which he can sell, but the fourth is the ugliest puppy ever. No one wants to buy him and, as he grows, it becomes clear he'll never make a sheepdog – and he certainly isn't house-trained! Farmer Buzzard is too kind-hearted to get rid of Smasher, and eventually, when a burglar calls, the big dog has a chance to prove his worth.

Dorothea considers it a disgrace that one of her children has the white saddle-shaped patch on his bottom, and not on his back. Life doesn't look too promising for 'Saddlebottom', until he runs away from home and meets a very unusual cat. With the aid of a ginger tom named Bendigo, he proves his mother wrong.

Peter is a young boy, living on a farm. One day, whilst out doing chores for his father, he comes across a strange white stick floating in the stream. He reaches out and catches it - and finds an exciting new friend in the process. Ninnyhammer is the local village simpleton, but Peter knows there's more to him than that - he's a magician and the white stick is his magic wand. Ninnyhammer is so grateful that he starts to help Peter and his family with their struggling farm. But Peter wants to do something for Ninnyhammer in return.

Abigail would love to have a pet parrot, but they're too expensive. So she decides to teach one of her father's chickens to talk instead. To the amazement of Abigail's family, she succeeds. Soon, they have to stop Polly being quite so chatty.

Long ago, in the cold lands of the North, there lived a troll named Ulf who had a very bad habit he liked to eat fingers! Many, many men, women and children had found their hands a finger short thanks to the razor-sharp teeth of the Finger-eater. And who knows how many more might have suffered the same fate if it hadn't been for the actions of a resolute girl called Gudrun!

Snail on board! Siegfried loves to explore. One day his explorations take him on a big adventure – from his home in the grass, to the airport, on to an aeroplane and all the way to America! There he makes some very important friends, Mr Ambassador and Mr President, finds a new home in a sandwich box – and also meets the lovely Peggy Sue ...Another magical, funny story from the master of animal tales, Dick King-Smith.

When Mr Gray is caught by a cat, Mrs Gray is left alone with her three babies. She remembered her old granny's words, 'The gravest of all mousely sins – is to produce a set of trins!' Trins is another name for triplets, and this is the story of Mrs Gray's boys, Tom, Dick and Harry.

The date is AD 1650. Dodos are leading idyllic lives on an island in the Indian Ocean, but soon there will be no dodos anywhere at all on earth. Beatrice and Bertie are happily planning their wedding bliss and thinking of all the dodolings they will produce, unaware of the dangers lurking offshore in the anchored ship. The sea monkeys and rats within are dangerous, mean and hungry, and the unsuspecting dodos are in trouble!

Look up into the starry sky on the night of the full moon and you'll see...a bird? A plane? No...a little boy! Eight-year-old Mary Bird has discovered a secret: Her four-year-old brother Billy can fly! Floating around his room is bad enough, but when he takes off out an open window, Mary's sure disaster isn't far behind. She may be right!

Flora was born on the first day of term in the new school year, which might be why she's a very special mouse indeed – a mouse who has taught herself to read! Flora lives in a classroom, and is determined to learn all sorts of things that no mouse has ever learned before. Her family is horrified at first, but then Flora's reading saves their lives.

Flightless, helpless and often, frankly, more than a little silly, chickens are no match for the cunning, merciless foxes stalking their coop. Or are they? Thanks to a careless farmer and generations of determined foxes, the chickens on Foxearth Farm have evolved into quick-witted, long-legged, high flying fox dodgers. Then, just a week after a vicious fox ambush in the water trough, three sisters are hatched. And Ransome, Sims and Jefferies are no ordinary chicks: they grow up determined to fight back.

Henrietta Hickthrift decides to run away from home - the Old People's Home. Packing just one small suitcase, she sets off on the train to the seaside. But Henry doesn't have much money. In fact by the end of her first day she has exactly one penny. That is when she meets the Goods - Angela, Barney, Eleanor, Rosie, and Rowley - who decide to adopt this unusual stray. But will their parents let them keep her?

Captain, Ladybird and Herbert – two Shire horses and a Suffolk Punch – are not pleased when Jenny, a retired seaside donkey, arrives at the Old Horses' Home. It's supposed to be a home for horses, and they don't want to share their field with a common little donkey. Then rustlers are spotted in the area: thieves who like nothing better than to steal horses and ship them abroad – to be made into horse pie! Can Jenny and her friends save the huge heavy horses?

Best known for his best-selling novel, Babe, which was made into a major motion picture, Dick King-Smith draws on his over 14 years of experience on Woodlands Farm to create this thoughtful and humorous memoir. His time on the farm inspired countless stories as well as the numerous lovable characters found in them. In Chewing the Cud, he candidly talks about what moved him to become a children’s author.