British children’s author Dick King-Smith died in his sleep on 4 January 2011. Announcing his death, the BBC says he had been in failing health for several years. Born Ronald Gordon King-Smith in Gloucestershire, England, on 27 March 1922, he fought in Italy during World War II, and then returned home, where he was a farmer for two decades.
His first book, The Fox Busters, was published in 1978. He went on to write more than 100 books—most of them featuring animals—and sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. His 1983 book The Sheep-Pig was adapted into the 1995 film Babe. The Queen’s Nose (1983), was adapted into a BBC TV series that ran from 1995 to 2003, and his 1990 story The Water Horse was turned into a 2007 feature film starring Emily Watson and David Morrissey.
He received an OBE in last year’s New Year’s Honours list (see this article). Extensive bibliographies are available on Fantastic Fiction and Wikipedia.
He is survived by his second wife, Zona, three children, 14 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.