Book Review of "Babe: The Gallant Pig"

Babe: The Gallant Pig, by Dick King-Smith

5 stars!!!

Description: Babe is a pig. And pigs, as all border collies know, are stupid. Not as stupid as sheep, of course, but still thick-headed. So when lonely Babe starts following his adoptive collie "mother" around the farm, he's got a lot to learn. Fly enjoys the company, but even though she knows that Babe can't be expected to get everything right, his strange ideas worry her. For example, she knows that sheep must be bullied and frightened into submission. Babe can't get that through his head. What's a rough-and-tumble collie to do with a pig that says please and thank you -- to the SHEEP???

Concerns: The dogs calls sheep names; also, the female collie is calmly referred to with a term that would be inappropriate if used elsewhere.

Summary: This is a fantastic book. The characters are wonderful, the story unique, and the peaceful bustle of farm life offers boundless amusement (I can't help laughing at the poor harassed ducks!). There's a smattering of thrills (sheep rustlers, stray dogs), and the moral of the story is broader than just minding your manners: as Babe demonstrates, heroes come in all shapes and sizes! A short but snappy and satisfying read; one of King-Smith's best.