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You are here: Home / Book Reviews / Babe the Gallant Pig

Babe the Gallant Pig

October 17, 2024 by Sarah Laucks

A classic chapter book about a resilient young pig, his friends, his dreams, and the farmer who believes in him. Plus this particular pig makes a discovery about what he is capable of.

Category: Book Reviews, Chapter Book, Fluent Readers, Independent ReadersTag: Animal Stories, Book-to-Film Books, Dick King-Smith, Mary Rayner

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A classic chapter book about a resilient young pig, his friends, his dreams, and the farmer who believes in him. Plus this particular pig makes a discovery about what he is capable of.

This book is for any reader who ever wanted to do something unusual, something no one else thought was possible.

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Why Read this Book
  • Book Facts
  • Expansion Circle Ideas
  • See Inside

Why Read this Book

  1. Excellent read-aloud title. Funny with entertainment for all ages.
  2. There are “forgotten books” that seem to be disappearing from the shelves of libraries, large bookstores, and brick-and-mortar schools. These forgotten books are amazing and to miss them would be to be deprived of true enjoyment. This book is one of those stories. Don’t miss it!
  3. A book about how it is okay to be different, to have dreams that others may not believe are possible, and the benefits of working hard.
  4. A book-to-film title. This book was written first, then made into a film. For children who find reading a challenge, watch the film first, then read the book aloud to them. Or, read the book (aloud or as independent reading), then watch the film and talk about it.
  5. Just the right mix of the realities of life, a little sadness, a journey, hard work, dreams, friends, and more.

Book Facts

Author: Dick King-Smith

Illustrator: Mary Rayner

Alternate Title: This book was first published in the United Kingdom under the title The Sheep-Pig

Copyright: 1983 in the United Kingdom, 1985 in the United States

Publisher: USA: Crown Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc.

Format: Middle Grade Chapter Book. Includes black and white line art illustrations.

Age Range: 2nd to 6th graders

Reading Level: Independent and Fluent Readers

About the Book Art: Mary Rayner is the original illustrator for this book. It has since enjoyed the work of other illustrators for later editions. Rayner’s illustrations were line art sketches. They are simple illustrations; however, even in their simplicity they skillfully draw the reader along through the story. And while they seem simple, try drawing these pictures for yourself and you’ll discover they are not quite that simple! The dust jacket illustration for hardcover editions are full-color – featuring Rayner’s black line art drawings with watercolor added. Bonus for those who read the copyright page of an early edition of this book – there’s an Easter Egg there if you look very closely.

Expansion Circle Ideas

Film: Watch the 1995 film Babe: A Little Pig Goes a Long Way, based on this book.

Read More: Read another book written by Dick King-Smith. The Waterhorse is a great choice, and it was also made into a film. Another book you might like by this author is Pigs Might Fly – also published as Daggie Dogfoot. It wasn’t made into a film, but it is a wonderful story.

Science: Go on an adventure to learn more about the animals in the book. You could visit a farm, go to the library for books about farm animals, or visit a farm store.

Culture: Visit the county fair where you live.

Geography: Use an online maps tool or an atlas to find the places mentioned in the book. The setting is England.

Meet the Author: Explore the wonderful website dedicated to Dick King-Smith – dickkingsmith.com.

See Inside

Click any photo to view it larger.

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The mission of Beehive Books and Arts is to be a resource for anyone who has kids in their life that are learning to read and to love reading. 

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