Chewing the Cud

Starred review from September 30, 2002
"I wasn't a particularly good soldier or farmer or salesman or factory worker or teacher, but at last I've found something I can do reasonably well," concludes this warm and witty memoir by the author of Babe: The Gallant Pig
and more than 100 other children's books. But how he arrived at his career as author makes for delectable fodder in this humorous and conversational volume, peppered with accomplished pen-and-inks by Horse (Little Rabbit Lost). King-Smith recounts an eventful life that spanned the greater part of the 20th century and is still going strong into the 21st. He traces his meandering career path—recalling many comic moments during his years spent farming with his wife, Myrle (he confesses somewhat sheepishly, "For Myrle and me, life at Woodlands Farm was really an extension of our childhood pet keeping"). The pages brim with eccentric characters worthy of a P.G. Wodehouse novel (e.g., "Mr. Hamper was distinguishable from his larger pigs by virtue of wearing clothes and standing on his hind legs"). Children will particularly enjoy hearing of the many animals he has known, from the chameleons he collected on a WWII troop ship en route to Tripoli, to the hamsters he inadvertently bred (they escaped) at a manor-house-cum-agricultural-college, to the scores of cows, pigs, poultry, dogs and more that he raised. For kids from one to 92, these pages reveal a gifted writer with an affection for animals and a simple country life, a passion for his work, and sheer goodness of heart. Ages 10-up.

November 1, 2002
Gr 6 Up-With candor, humor, and warmth, King-Smith relates the various experiences that led him to become, late in his life, a children's author. Although he flashes back to various points in his early years, the book focuses on his adult life, beginning with his desire to farm at age 18. He relates his inexperienced (and humorous) attempts at farming at Woodlands Farm after serving in World War II, the birth of his children, and the various jobs he held to support his family. In 1976, he began his first book, and the rest, shall we say, is history. Throughout his recollections, he includes vignettes of the various animal "friends" that made up a large part of his and his family's lives, and gives a picture of pre- and post-World War II England and its accompanying social history. Because the focus is on King-Smith's adult life, teachers and librarians will most likely be this book's most ardent readers, although older students needing an interesting autobiography might pick it up. A good choice for any library interested in collecting material that supports the study of children's literature and children's authors.-Jennifer Ralston, Harford County Public Library, Belcamp, MD

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2002
Gr. 8-12. In this entertaining memoir, British author King-Smith ruminates about his life, focusing mostly on the years between 1947 and 1967, which he spent as a farmer. Chapters jump from topic to topic in no particular chronology as he remembers his happy albeit less than successful run as caretaker for various farm animals, which he freely admits were more pets than a business. As always, he employs a deft turn of phrase and plenty of humor (a sick cow emits "rivers of dung rich enough to grow Jack's beanstalk") to keep readers chuckling. Some readers, especially those unfamiliar with animal husbandry, may have trouble understanding many of King-Smith's colloquialisms, but those who persevere will be rewarded with insight into what inspired "Fox Busters" (1978) and about the landlord who surely served as a model for the farmer in "Three Terrible Trins "(1994). King-Smith devotes the last two chapters to more recent pursuits: primary-school teacher, author, and television host. Teachers who use the book might prefer that younger students skip the chapter on pub-crawling and country parties. A delight for mature readers who know the author's works. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)