The Guard Dog

Ronald Gordon King-Smith OBE, Hon.MEd (27 March 1922 – 4 January 2011), was a prolific English writer of children's books, primarily using the pen name Dick King-Smith. He is best known for The Sheep-Pig (1983), or Babe the Gallant Pig in the US. It was adapted as the movie Babe (1995) and translations have been published in fifteen languages. He was awarded an Honorary Master of Education degree by the University of the West of England in 1999 and appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours. Dick and Myrle had three children – two daughters (Juliet and Lizzie) and one son (Giles). Dick King-Smith's first book, The Foxbusters, was published in 1978.