Showing results by author "Dick King-Smith" in All Categories

His mother was amazed when she saw the size of her newborn infant and realised that feeding him was going to cause problems. She turned to a box of patent Porker Pills, used for fattening pigs. But the bigger Magnus grew, the more problems he caused.

Henrietta Hickthrift decided 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?

Hezekiah is a very hairy camel. He lives a quiet life in his enclosure at the zoo and seems to be the only animal without a friend. So Hezekiah decides to escape, and breaks into a safari park! There he meets another hairy character – and finally makes a friend.

Sir Tumbleweed is an unlikely knight – afraid of horses, jousting and dragons. But with help from Arthur the Lion and Spearhead the Unicorn, he floors Sir Basil the Beastly in a jousting match. Will the champion jouster of all England find an obliging damsel in distress?

When Brigid sees a tiny carrot moving about in the garden she can't believe her eyes. When the carrot turns out to be a tiny leprechaun, she can't believe her luck. She is the only human who can see him - but where is his pot of gold?

From the moment he's left as a foundling in a lambing-pen on Outoverdown Farm, Spider Sparrow is surrounded by animals. Adopted by the kindly shepherd and his wife, Spider comes to know all the farm creatures, including the crows he must scare away from the wheat. Every animal he meets trusts him, and Spider loves them all. It is his unique gift, but nothing else in his life comes so easily...

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.

While vacationing in Scotland, Zeta meets a rather unusual fellow. He's a terrific swimmer. He chats with seals. And he has a fish tail. Marinus is a merman – definitely not your average summer friend. Who else could teach Zeta everything from swimming to astronomy to French? It's always an adventure when Marinus is around, and as the summer ends, Zeta knows she'll miss her new friend terribly.

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.

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.

At the zoo, Jack steals an ostrich egg that's about to be fed to a snake, brings it home to his family's farm, and persuades a pair of geese to be its foster parents.

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!

Stand and deliver! Young Tod Golightly is off to find fame and fortune as a highwayman, with help from his four unlikely accomplices: Matilda the wise old donkey, Digby the mastiff, Loudmouth the magpie and a strong-smelling ferret called Evil. A daring robbery makes Tod the terror of the Great West Road, but the Bow Street Runners are hot on his trail...A funny, moving story about a boy and his animal friends, from bestselling author Dick King-Smith.

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.

Puffin presents five classic children's stories from master storyteller Dick King-Smith. This collection features tales from the farm yard including Julius Caesar's Goat. Julius Caesar's Goat is the story of how Julius Caesar became the owner of a goat so smelly, the enemy ran away at the merest whiff of him! And then there's Caesar's girlfriend... Queen Cleopatra may be beautiful but she uses Siberian wolf's wee for perfume and rancid donkey milk for bathwater. How can Caesar stand to be near this pungent pair?

Puffin presents seven stories, in audio for the first time, from master storyteller Dick King-Smith. This collection includes: Connie and Rolo, Warlock Watson, Bobby the Bad, Dragon Boy, What Sadie Saw, Treasure Trove and Back to Front Benjy. Get ready to go treasure hunting with Ben, cast spells with Sam and take flight with Montagu in this beautifully recorded new collection.

Puffin presents a collection of magical stories from master storyteller Dick King-Smith.This collection of exciting stories includes The Magic Carpet Slippers! The other brilliant stories included in this collection are: Uncle Bumpo, Philibert the First and The Ghost at Codlin Castle....

In Dinosaur School Basil Brontosaurus is teased at playschool by all the other little dinosaurs, who call him stupid. His mother tells him he's special because he has two brains—one in his head and one is his back. Basil is so pleased that he starts to throw his weight around at playschool. That is, until he meets a large Tyrannosaurus rex!

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.

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!