Small, but very determined, Sophie loves animals and is going to be a farmer when she grows up. In this book Sophie gets some new animals - including four kittens - finds a farming friend and enters the sporting arena!
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 lived with his wife in a small 17th-century cottage, about three miles from the house where he was born.
This is a great book. It is about a girl called Sophie who wants to own a farm when she grows up. In this story she gets 4 new kittens and a rabbit, wins the egg and spoon race at school, and meets a new farming friend. My Mum and I Are Huge fans of The Sophie Series & this didn't Disappoint.
In this book Sophie's cat Tom has to acquire a new name, as she gives birth to kittens. Sophie has to give them away... but in return for one of them, is given a different kind of animal.
I love the character of Sophie who is remarkably like one or two other small and determined girls I have known. I'd recommend this as a read-aloud for children of about four or above who have got used to books with short chapters; it doesn't have to be read after the two earlier books (Sophie's Snail and Sophie's Tom) since it's complete in itself, although it's probably best to read them all in order.
It's interesting enough, too, that it could be read by any child of four or older who is reading reasonably fluently; the language is fairly simple, the text bigger than that of an adult book, and there are some delightful line drawings scattered throughout. And yet the characters are so real that it can be enjoyed by people of any age.
Our children (5 & 3) are enjoying these books being read to them. This is the fourth we've read in the series (I think I got them a bit out of sync). Possibly it's the best so far (not too much grumpiness or fighting with Dawn … parents being proactive and loving rather than just a backdrop for Sophie's adventures … and a very sweet ending). I do fear however that my daughter will be getting some unrealistically high expectations of the sorts of pets she might ask for.
So far so good. Chapter one has me interested already. Mom is turning me loose on it tomorrow to read by myself. THe spacing is nice for that and the words are just right.
Cross-posted from my blog where there's more information on where I got my copy and links and everything.
This was adorable. It’s very British and pretty old-fashioned. It’s definitely set in the late 80s or early 90s (Princess Diana is mentioned and… well, alive) but there’s also minimal technology and Sophie’s school performs a nativity play. That is, to be fair, at least thirty years ago if not more. It’s just a much gentler setting in most ways.
Also I love Sophie. She’s just quietly stubborn and kind of hilarious at times. I liked how her parents didn’t cave to her every demand, but they do have their soft moments and care about what she wants. It’s a very balanced parenting style, which MG like this doesn’t always strike. I’d gladly put Sophie next to Ramona and Julie B. Jones on my “classic MG” list, especially for any kid who’s a big animal lover. Would recommend, would read more of these, and I am keeping this one.
This book opens with a story exactly like our own: a found black kitten and given the name Tom — only to find out that “he” is a “she.” What a fun connecting point!
The book is absolutely charming, with funny Sophie who is up to all kinds of antics as she aims to be a “lady farmer” when she grows up and mispronounces all kinds of words in the meantime. Like many good books about children, it reminds me of how wonderful the child mind is. This was our first Sophie book, but it won’t be our last!
This Sophie book remains just as funny and heart-warming as the previous ones, filled with delightful moments that made me laugh and enjoy every page. This time, Sophie experiences more surprises and interacts with even more animals than before—each encounter guiding her further along the path to becoming a proper lady farmer.
Aging a contemporary story to make something "old" seem older through a spirited Sophie, her love for animals, and some agricultural adventures -- all across the pond.
I can't say that I like the Sophie books as much as I wish I did. She just spends so much time scowling, and she seems so spoiled, that even though she's a hard worker with real integrity I just can't feel engaged with her adventures. Still, I do highly recommend them to fans of Ramona, Clementine, and Babe the Gallant Pig.
We've read several King-Smith books now, since my son started school last September. He's loved them all, and I did wonder how he would take a female protagonist. But I needn't have been concerned - he enjoyed reading about a girl at the exact same age as himself, coming up to six.
My son was quite fascinated with all her pets, her twin brothers, the sports day and nativity play at school, her desperate wish for a dog. He could relate, I thought.
Sophie comes across well, an articulate (with lots of cute errors) girl who wants to be a "Lady Farmer", collects pets (looks after them very well though, a great example), and who takes her ambitions seriously. Her little escapades in school also caught my listener's attention and we read a chapter or two each night, finishing in just over a week.
Easy to read aloud for an adult, with just enough illustrations to bring out the main plot points for a listener. And a lovely ending that had my son asking for more books in the series.
We were lucky enough to run across a used copy of this at Auntie's our favorite bookstore in Spokane, WA when my daughters were five and six. So they were able to grow up with the animal-loving Sophie. As they shunned dolls and adored animals of all sorts, Sophie was an easy heroine. The Sophie books quickly went from read-to's to favorite readers.
This book is the third book of the Sophie series. It is about when Sophie grows older and older and becomes more mature. I especially liked the part when it was her birthday and her friends celebrate with her. My favourite character was Sophie because she was very happy and very brave in this book. I recommend this book to children 8+
"no, no, Duncan, the baby will be represented by a doll. I couldn't have a live baby on the stage." "You wouldn't have time," said Sophie. "It takes nine months, like a cow," said Andrew.
Possibly these last two remarks had something to do with the fact that, when the leading parts in the play were allotted, Sophie and Andrew were passed over.
Surprisingly undated, this appeals to animal living little girls in particular. The audio books read by the inestimable Bernard Cribbins are a good choice too.