Sophie’s Adventures (3-in-1) by Dick King-Smith: the first three in the ‘Sophie’ series about a small but determined girl who wants to be a lady farmer when she grows up.
In ‘Sophie’s Snail‘ we meet the four-year-old Sophie who already has a strong character and a deep love for animal life, as well as her twin brothers Matthew and Mark. Sophie starts to save up for her farm, and adopts a wide variety of small creatures from her garden.
In ‘Sophie’s Tom‘, Sophie meets a black cat on her fifth birthday, which also happens to be Christmas Day. Her parents do not in the least want a cat, but Sophie has other ideas… Sophie starts school in this book, too.
In ‘Sophie hits Six‘, Sophie gets more used to school, visits a farm show, and works on persuading her parents that the family should have a dog…
Lots of great characterisation, humour that appeals to adults as well as the more earthy kind for children, and even some gentle educational material about farms and animals in general.
