A few months ago, one of my publishers, Mango Books, began a series of posts on social media about books authors read when they were young. The book I chose was The Sheep-Pig, a delightful chapter book by a favourite writer, Dick King-Smith.
Dick King-Smith’s stories are a treat. I loved The Sheep-Pig, the sequel Ace and so many more – Saddlebottom, A Mouse Called Wolf, The Hodgeheg … Every time I went to the library, I would look out for his books, hoping to discover at least one more book I hadn’t read.
Why is this book part of my reading programme?
Obviously, the first reason is that I love it. Here’s what I said to Mango Books about it.
“The Sheep-Pig is a delightful story, and I’m so glad I read it as a child! The book left me with the feeling that anything is possible. More than that, I loved the idea that kindness and courtesy can help you achieve anything. The Sheep-Pig shatters all stereotypes about pigs being dirty, greedy and stupid because the protagonist Babe is the perfect pig – clean, unfailingly polite and utterly charming. The story stayed with me because of its gentleness, its humour and its wonderful portrayal of friendship–all of which I hope find their way into my writing too!”
Discussion
From the importance of being polite to ideas of stereotypes, daring to be different and following instructions, The Sheep-Pig can spark all kinds of conversations. Why does Babe succeed where others fail? How do people see you? Do you fit in with their ideas? The Sheep-Pig is a wonderful text to work with when it comes to a range of subjects!
Puzzles
Many children find reading boring because there’s nothing to do. Mazes and puzzles help them to keep their minds active as they figure out best possible routes, and The Sheep-Pig, with its trail routes and shepherding storyline is perfect for more than one quick activity on problem solving.
Word games
Babe gets confused by the word ‘ewe’. He wonders what the sheep Ma means when she says ‘I am you’. Homophones can be confusing, but playing with them is fun! I’m waiting to work with rhymes, homophones and more at the reading programme.
A little about the book
Why can’t I learn to be a sheep-pig?
Babe, The Sheep-Pig
Mr Hogget wins a piglet at a fair, but he’s never had pigs before. His sheep-dog, Fly, takes the piglet under her wing and like all children, the piglet begins to imitate the closest adult. It so happens that the closest adult is not a pig, but a sheep-dog. Why should that stand in the way? If the piglet’s adoptive mum can be a sheep-dog, why can’t the little one be a sheep-pig?
The Sheep-Pig is an award-winning book by a beloved author, well worth a read, a re-read and then a few more re-reads after that.
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