A beautiful new 30th anniversary edition of Harriet’s Hare is out today! One of Dick’s very best, most touching stories, Harriet’s Hare won the Children’s Book Award in 1995. Below is a picture of Dick with that award. Everyone knows that hares don’t talk, but the hare that Harriet meets one morning in a corn […] The post Out Today! appeared first on Dick King-Smith ..read more

Goldfinch Books in Alton, Hampshire was the venue on July 13th for me to give another talk about my dad Dick King-Smith’s life and career, as part of the inaugural Alton Arts Festival. In comfy chairs (or on the rug if you were a child) a group of families – and a few older DKS fans – gathered for a quick PowerPoint presentation (thanks to skilled laptop operator Otto, Dick’s great-grandson!), then some readings, and time for questions. As previously, “Sophie’s Snail” held everyone’s attention, and there was also time for the first chapters of “The Sheep Pig” and “George Speaks”. I have to con ..read more

A beautiful new 30th anniversary edition of Harriet’s Hare is out on Thursday 25th July! “Everyone knows that hares don’t talk, but the hare that Harriet meets one morning in a corn circle in a wheatfield is rather different. It is a tourist from the planet Pars, who has taken the form of a talking hare for a holiday to Earth! Join them on their adventure and discover all sorts of surprises in store for Harriet…” One of Dick’s very best, most touching stories, Harriet’s Hare won the Children’s Book Award in 1995 (pictured below). We love the stunning, vibrant cover by Steph Laberis! You can o ..read more

Earlier this month, Dick’s younger daughter Liz took part in a special event in Bampton, Oxfordshire. Here is her report from the day: “Last Saturday afternoon I took part in a Children’s Literary Afternoon for the primary school in our village: the school that both my children, two of Dad’s/Dick’s grandchildren, attended. Bampton C of E Primary School is raising funds in order to build a much needed new early years unit for the school. The afternoon was packed with different activities for children and parents alike: story writing, a quiz, a word search, a craft table, flowers for sale, new a ..read more

For anyone in the Bampton, Oxfordshire area, all are welcome at Bampton Children’s Literary Afternoon today, 18th May from 2pm – 5pm. There will be a fun-packed afternoon of child-focused book talks and activities, and Liz Rose, Dick’s younger daughter will be reading some stories throughout the day. Join her at Bampton Primary School! The post Bampton Church of England Primary School appeared first on Dick King-Smith ..read more

For anyone in the Bampton, Oxfordshire area, all are welcome at Bampton Children’s Literary Afternoon today, 18th May from 2pm – 5pm. There will be a fun-packed afternoon of child-focused book talks and activities, and Liz Rose, Dick’s younger daughter will be reading some stories throughout the day. Join her at Bampton Primary School! The post Bampton Children’s Literary Afternoon appeared first on Dick King-Smith ..read more

In 1928, when he was 6 years old, Dick was taken to London Zoo by his parents. He drew some pictures of the animals he saw there, including Ranji the tigon (a tiger crossed with a lion), Cleopatra the python, Sam the black-maned lion and Peter Pan the baby alligator. He also drew this rather fetching picture of a tiger (top of the page), which had been given to the zoo by Prince Ranjitsinhji – an Indian cricketer who was one of the finest batsmen of all time, and later became ruler of the Indian Princely State of Nawangar from 1907 to 1933. London Zoo opened to the public in 1828, exactly 100 ..read more

When I was 10, Dick King-Smith, my great grandfather, came to visit my school! It wasn’t long after we had moved from London to a tiny village on the west coast of Scotland—it was the first time Grampa Dick visited us in Ardfern, and was in fact the only time he made the long journey north before he passed away a few years later. My whole school only had about thirty pupils, so it was what you might call an intimate gig for him. He read to us, told us about his life and his writing, probably made some silly jokes, and answered our questions. He did many school visits during his career, includi ..read more

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. The post Dick’s Birthday appeared first on Dick King-Smith ..read more

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 Jane Asher. On the Google Play Books YouTube Channel, you can listen to a 10-15 minute sample of all of Dick’s audiobook stories for free!   The post Read Me A Story appeared first on Dick King-Smith ..read more