'I hope he'd like it' - Dick King-Smith's great-granddaughter on finishing his latest book

  • Listen to Dick King-Smith's great-grandaughter on finishing his book.

Dick King-Smith's latest book is hitting shelves across the country today, but this one has a twist - it was finished by his great-granddaughter, Josie Rogers.

"Ambrose Follows His Nose" was started by famous writer Dick before his death and the unfinished manuscript was completed by Josie during the lockdowns of 2020.

It has been released today on what should have been Dick's 100th birthday in celebration of his life.

The famed author wrote more than 100 children's books during his career, including The Sheep-Pig which was adapted into the film Babe.

Dick's unfinished manuscript was discovered by his daughter, Liz, in a box of his possessions.

Dick grew up in Bitton and lived nearby until his death in 2011.

The story features a seemingly ordinary rabbit called Ambrose, with an extraordinary sense of smell.

Speaking about the release of the book, Josie Rogers said: "I hope he'd like it, I think he would.

"There's definitely a few jokes that I managed to slip in that I was like he would make and hopefully would laugh at.

"It's been a true joy to collaborate with Grampa Dick on one of his books. The plot was half-written so I added several new characters and six new chapters to complete it.

"Like many of Dick's stories, Ambrose features a rebellious little girl and animals who love to ignore what's 'expected' of them.

"This year would have been Dick's 100th birthday. His legacy is a huge back catalogue of much-loved children's stories, so the prospect of finishing one of them was somewhat daunting!

"It's possibly not exactly what Dick would have written but I think he'd like it but more importantly, I think it would make him laugh."