Babe: The Gallant Pig

I'm up here

King-Smith, Dick. Babe: The Gallant Pig. New York : Crown, 1983.

Plot: Farmer Hogget wins a young piglet at the fair. While he intends to raise it for meat, his sheepdog, Fly, finds herself adopting it. At the pig's insistence, she teaches it to be a sheep-pig. Yet, the pig, called Babe, cannot bring himself to harass and dominate the sheep like his mentor does. Instead, he tries to be polite to them and, much to the shock of Fly and Hogget, they respond. Babe continues to endear himself to the sheep, the sheepdog, and the farmer through his loyalty, consideration, and manners, causing a minor revolution in farmyard relations. The farmer suspects the pig could do more, though. He signs himself and Babe up for the national sheepdog trials, where good manners may not be enough to help Babe. The assistance of his foster mother and flock may prove greater than any obstacle, though.

Genre: Animals

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: Ace: The Very Important Pig, Charlotte's Web

Personal Thoughts: The book surprised me. Watching the 1995 live-action movie familiarized me with the plot, but the characters really stand out in the novel. Strangely, the book includes fewer characters than the film. Only Ma, Babe, Fly, Farmer Hogget, and Mrs. Hogget find their way into the novel, allowing better exploration into their personalities and actions. Babe's actions become heroic because he must actively conquer natural, "pig-like" behaviors. Similarly, Fly becomes more maternal in the book, since she willingly accepts her own faults to assist Babe. The novel also presents itself as more lighthearted than the movie, with fewer mentions of butchering, death, and separation.

Originally, the title was published as The Sheep-Pig.

Side Note: I just noticed both of the King-Smith book covers show the two protagonists looking down at another major character. I wonder if it's a characteristic of the author.