The Water Horse [Hardcover]

Dick King-Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 1998 | Age Level: 7 and up

When eight-year-old Kirstie and her family go beach coming near their home in Scotland, she finds something that looks like a giant fish egg, and is just too interesting to leave on the beach. So she brings it home and sneaks it into the bathtub overnight. The next morning, she is surprised to find that the egg has hatched, but the newborn is unlike anything anyone has seen before. With a long neck, head like a horse, skin like a toad's, flippers like a turtle, and a tail like a crocodile, her brother Angus declares it a monster. Grandfather knows better and tells them it's a kelpie, or what he calls a water horse. The family keeps the baby and names it Crusoe. But as Crusoe grows, he becomes a bigger and bigger problem--literally. They are forced to find him a new home, away from people and boats.  They settle on a beautiful Loch, now known as Loch Ness. From the author of beloved Babe comes the soon-to-be-classic story of how--thanks to the love and kindness of the human family that raises him--the Loch Ness Monster found his home.  

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Tweaking Scottish legend, King-Smith (Babe: The Gallant Pig) fabricates a just-shy-of-believable fantasy about the origins of the Loch Ness monster. The story, set in the early 1930s, begins as eight-year-old Kirstie finds what looks like an oversize fish egg washed up on the seashore after a violent storm. She and her younger brother Angus tote it home, and next morning out hatches an odd-looking creature that their grandfather informs them is a kelpie, or water horse, a staple of Scottish folklore. Thanks in part to a steady supply of sardines and chocolate chip cookies, the "beastie" grows by leaps and bounds, dwarfing the family's bathtub, goldfish pond and a nearby lake, and in the end is transported secretly to his final home (which King-Smith refrains from naming until the very end). Told partly from the kelpie's point of view, the story perks along with seeming effortlessness. The cozy domestic formula that has worked well for King-Smith in other venues translates smoothly to this setting, and the author again achieves just the right balance between action, snappy dialogue and deft characterization. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 8-10.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-Set in the 1930s, this story tells of a young Scottish girl, Kirstie, and her brother, Angus, who find a mysterious egg capsule washed up on shore after a storm and take it home. To their delight, this "mermaid's purse" hatches into a lovable sea monster they call Crusoe. It keeps growing and growing, until finally it is too big to live anywhere but in nearby Loch Ness. Children who enjoy animal stories will welcome one about this unusual creature. The characters are believable and, since King-Smith relates events from the point of view of the water horse as well as those of Kirstie and her family, readers get to know the friendly, not-at-all-fearsome monster. Occasional black-and-white illustrations effectively complement the text. Crusoe is bound to make a splash with children everywhere.
Linda W. Tilden, Cherry Hill Library, NJ
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 118 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (September 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517800268
• ISBN-13: 978-0517800263
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,709,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Geography

More About the Author

Dick King-Smith was a farmer for twenty years before becoming a writer, and most of his animal stories are based on his farming experiences. He won the Guardian Award with The Sheep-Pig, which became the blockbuster film Babe. Dick lives in Gloucestershire.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a cute book on 'Nessie', January 5, 2008

By 

ellen "ellen in atlanta" (Atlanta, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Water Horse (Paperback)

I have to say the advertisements for the movie of The Water Horse prompted me to look to the book it was based on and what a cutie of a book it is -
Set in 1930's Scotland, after a huge storm a family goes to the shore to see what has washed up - and they found something very strange -
maybe something alive? an egg? what is it?
Well the kids take it inside and place it in the tub with water - to their surprise when they go to the tub the next morning, the container is open! And there is a cute creature that 'chirrups' at them - the grandfather tells them it is a water horse - the kind of creature that is of legend in the lochs of Scotland -
They feed the little fella and call him Crusoe and soon he needs to be placed in a pond, then a larger pond and when he is almost too big, the family takes him to a large loch to spend his life -
The family loves him and he loves them and learns that all humans aren't like them -
It is a story of love for the family and love of an innocent animal that has charmed the world with its legendary existence -
I plan to see the movie, but my imagination soared as I imagined the tiny water horse in the bathtub eating sardines...
Charming!!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Water Horse by: Dick king-Smith, December 2, 2004

By 

Mason 5th_Grade (Roxbury, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Water Horse (Paperback)

If you're into exitement, adventure, & mystery then read The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith. In this book you will find that a girl named Kirstie finds an egg on the beach and keeps it for a pet. But, Kirstie doesn't know that the egg she has is really a ferocious monster. Kirstie finds out that every day when she checks on the monster it never stops growing. I would recommend this book to anyone that's into adventure and mystery because this book is very interesting in a weird sort of way!

Sincerely,
Luis

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best one yet!!!!!!!!!, January 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Water Horse (Hardcover)

When Kirstie finds an egg on the beach, she takes it home. It hatches in her bathtub. It turns out to be a kelpie or better known as the Water Horse. They keep it in a goldfish pond and feed it fish when it gets to big they move it to a big loch. When the Water Horse gets to big for the loch they don't know what to do!! what will happen to the Water Horse??!? Read this book to find out the rest of this fun, exciting story!!!