Saturday, April 16, 2022

Babe

 

Image credit: The Really Good Book Shop

Well, it appears that reading is all I want to do today. Since closing the cover on La Belle Sauvage this morning, I have promptly gone to the bookshelf and selected another short narrative to fill the time between closing the cover on Pullman and acquiring the next instalment (which I have done). The story I chose to fill the gap is the classic moral tale of how good manners can bring about the best relationships and overcome adversity: Babe.

Originally published as The Sheep-Pig, Babe tells the story of a little piglet won at a country fair, who goes to live on a farm, is raised by the farmer’s sheep-dog, and then grows up to be a fine sheep-pig. As Farmer Hogget sees the talent Babe has in sheep herding, he enters him in the Grand Challenge Sheep-Dog Trials where Babe proves that there is more to him than meets the eye.

This was one of my favourite films growing up, and I have to say that the book is equally as sweet and heart-warming. The moral message about the power of good manners is simply delightful, but there is more in the story than a polite pig. Through the anthropomorphising of the farmyard animals, King-Smith cleverly teaches his young readers about the importance of communication and the evils of racism and prejudice. Similar –though not quite as sinister- to Orwell’s Animal Farm

Image credit: Penguin Random House

The simple prose, aided with illustrations by Mary Rayner, is perfect for a younger readership, with just enough of a challenge in the phonetic dialogue. And while it’s simple enough for an adult to knock out in but a few hours, the cleverness of the narrative devices, as well as the purity of the story is enough to warm anyone’s heart. It’s a beautiful book.

Author: Dick King-Smith, 1983

Published: First published as The Sheep-Pig by Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1983. 

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