Mr. Ape - Hardcover

*Dick King-Smith was born and raised in Gloucestershire, England, surrounded by pet animals.  After twenty years as a farmer, he turned to teaching and then to writing children's books.

*Dick writes mostly about animals: farmyard fantasy, as he likes to call it, often about pigs, his special favorites.  He enjoys writing for children, meeting the children who read his books, and knowing that they get enjoyment from what he does.

*Among his well-loved books is Babe, The Gallant Pig , which was recently made into a major motion picture, and was nominated for an Academy Award.  

*Dick currently lives with his wife in a small 17th-century cottage, about three miles from the house where he was born.  

Grade 4-6-Archibald Peregrine Edmund Spring-Russell, otherwise known as Ape, is fed up. For years, he's been ignored by his children and bullied by his disagreeable wife. Penny Royal, his ancestral mansion, is about as homey as your typical museum. Now his family has cleared out and he's left alone with 15 empty bedrooms. Ape promptly moves into the kitchen and contemplates buying a pet. Soon there are hens laying eggs in the living room, rabbits and guinea pigs in the dining room, canaries in the music room, and, thanks to some traveling gypsies, a donkey in the garden. Ape soon discovers that he needs help taking care of all of these animals. The two gypsies, Joe Hart and his son, Jake, offer their services, and before he knows it, the elderly man has another family, this one much more to his liking. When Penny Royal accidentally burns to the ground and the Harts are blamed, Ape is forced to decide whether to stay where his ancestors put him or follow his new family to their next stopping place. King-Smith explores several themes in this warm story: prejudice, acceptance, family life, and, above all, the need to be yourself. The soft pencil sketches lend depth to the narrative and bring the characters to life. Peppered with good advice on how to care for and about pets, this book is a winner.
Linda Bindner, Athens Clarke County Library, GA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.