How Green Was My Mouse

Dumpling - Dick King-Smith

the First Young Puffin series. These are real stories aimed at younger children who are just beginning reading. Dumpling is one of the books in this series. Most of Dick King-Smith s books are about animals, which is the case with Dumpling. She is a small dachshund dog who s body has not grown as long as her two brothers. They are long, slender and sleek whereas she is short and stumpy - hence her name - Dumpling! This story tells of how, feeling quite miserable about her stature, Dumpling goes off for a walk and meets a witch s black cat. The cat has magical powers and can grant wishes and so you can probably guess what Dumpling wishes for! Her wish is granted and her ...

Back-to-Front Benjy - Dick King-Smith

to start school? Back-to-front-Benjy is the main story of this compilation and the fun shines through, a simple idea is taken on an amusing journey thanks to the author Dick King-Smith. You can almost feel the parent s exasperation as they realise their son is not like other children, and the fact that they don t have a clue what to do about it! The characters are well portrayed so that you have sympathy for Bill and Maggie s plight but still find the backward actions of young Benjy amusing. There is also perhaps a deeper story within the story as Benjys` parents struggle to get him accepted at school and in the wider community despite his obvious differences. The story ...

Daggie Dogfoot - Dick King-Smith

Daggie Dogfoot is set, as are so many of Dick King-Smith s books, on a farm. It opens as Mrs Barleylove, one of the pedigree sows, looks at her litter of eight piglets the morning after they re born. While seven of them are beautiful, the eighth is a runt: thin, scrawny, and unlikely to survive. Runt piglets, apparently, are called dags. What s even worse is that this little piglet s front feet don t look like a pig s trotters, but turn inwards like those of a dog. The other sows, whose characters resemble gossipy middle-aged ladies, discuss this problem for a while, and mention the servant - this turns out to be a farm worker, also known as Pigman, who ministers ...