TEACHERS GUIDE


TEACHING IDEAS

The Wonderful World of Dick King-Smith

Aside from the ever-popular Babe, The Gallant Pig that was made into a hit movie, Dick King-Smith has published 17 other books with charming characters who are often animals that talk. Great for literature circles and also for independent reading, these books are a perfect addition to any classroom.

Below are some classroom connectors for a few of Dick-King Smith’s titles. We hope you and your students enjoy the wonderful world of Dick King-Smith.


Babe, The Gallant Pig
Current Events–Babe’s story is truly amazing. Read your local newspaper for a week and see if you can find any “amazing” articles about humans, animals, or anything else. Cut them out and share them with your class.

Themes: communication, friendship, teamwork, self-esteem


Ace, The Very Important Pig
Wisdom–Nanny the goat shares her wisdom with Ace throughout the book (e.g. “A little of what you like does you good. But you can have too much of a good thing.”) What are some pieces of wisdom you can share with each other? Where did you get them?

Journalism–Write a newspaper article about Ace and his amazing accomplishments. What would your headline be?

Themes: respecting others, communication, friendship, humor, getting along with others


The Invisible Dog
Imagination–Have you ever imagined owning something you don’t have? What is it? And why?

Themes: imagination, parents & children, pets, intergenerational friendship, patience


Three Terrible Trins
Creative Writing–If Farmer Budge’s house could talk, it would tell some crazy stories about its residents! Write a short story from the house’s point of view about day-to-day life.

Did You Know–Define the word “epiphany.” Farmer Budge has an “epiphany” towards the end of the book. When does this happen? Have you had an epiphany lately?

Themes: siblings, parents & children, competition, friendship


One Step Beyond
--When a book is finished, is the story really over? For example, what happens to Ace after he and Farmer Tubbs return from London? Or, how do Janie and her new dog Henry get along after the end of The Invisible Dog? Pick a Dick King-Smith book to “continue.” Write two to three paragraphs and share your continuation of the story with the class.

--Create a classroom newspaper on Dick King-Smith and his books. Conduct mock interviews with characters, write features about the settings of the books, do a weather report on England, etc.