Chewing the Cud: An Extraordinary Life Remembered by the Author of Babe: The Gallant Pig

By Dick King-Smith

Book Overview

A candid and very funny memoir from beloved children's book author Dick King-Smith.Before he was a children's book author, Dick King-Smith was a soldier, a farmer, a salesman, a factory worker, and a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375814590
• ISBN13: 9780375814594
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.8" x 5.8"
• Age Range: 10 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 7

Customer Reviews

Entertaining and inspiring

Dick King-Smith is one of my favorite authors. He writes books that are for children but are equally enjoyed by adults. And this autobiography is no exception. Being a writer myself (though just a journalist right now -- an inspiring children's author one day) his book and his journey in becoming an author was so nice to read. He didn't start out as an author. It was a gradual thing.

This book will more than do

If you have seen the movie "Babe" and been delighted by the characters and story, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. I listened to it on tape, and the reader was none other than the author himself, veddy English and likeable. Mr. King-Smith recounts his early years, his stint in the military, the courtship of his wife, the birth of his children and his various careers, including the longest one, that of being a farmer. From these experiences, mostly as a farmer, Mr. King-Smith built a reputation as a children's book author. I was sad to come to the end and longed for more. I hope Mr. King-Smith has another book like it in him; he could follow in the tradition of the much loved James Herriot. A simple memoir, for those of you who like them, full of nice people, animal stories, and the evidence of Mr. King-Smith's sweet nature. A short gem and a breath of fresh air.

A delightful memoir for kids in grades 6-8

This autobiography of a popular children's book author provides a delightful memoir for kids in grades 6-8, telling of Dick King-Smith's life and how he came up with the animal characters which are so popular in his children's stories. Any prior fan of Dick King-Smith's writings will find Chewing The Cud filled with fascinating insights about his life and sources for inspiration.