Stig of the Dump by Clive King

Hard to believe that a book that my father bought me when I was a child is now 50 years old and it has certainly stood the test of time. I still have Stig of the Dump and I gave it in turn to my son. We loved reading it together and it brought back wonderful memories for me. Sadly, my son never met his Grandfather.

So what makes Stig so special? The story is simple - a boy, Barney, meets a caveman who has made his home in a disused chalk pit, and for Barney the friendship that he finds with Stig represents a shelter from the reality of his world.

This classic children's book has never been out of print since it was first published 50 years ago showing just how popular and successful it has been.

The story begins when Barney goes to play in one of those no-mans-land places that used to exist in semi-rural communities - an old chalk pit that was being used as a dump, and in this dump Barney discovers a caveman.

The caveman can't talk but he can communicate and he is amazingly talented when it comes to DIY. The dump, of course, is a rich source of material from which Stig fashions all manner of things. What a wonderful friend for an eight year old boy!

But this tale, like many children's stories, has a darker side. The amazing 'home' that Stig built and the ideal playground that Barney had found was spoiled and threatened the Snargets, menacing vandals that caused damage and heartache.

How did Stig arrive in the dump? More to the point, how is he to return to his own time? Find out how Barney and Stig work together to capture the magic that will take Stig home.

Well,author of stig, of course. But is there more to Clive King?

David Clive King was born in 1924 in Richmond, London, but he was brought up in Ash, Kent. King maintains that it was the very ordinary nature of Ash (boring in his own words) that led to his children's book, Stig of the Dump.

King began writing as a child first book, but his first book, Hamid of Aleppo, was published in 1958. He also wrote two other books for children, The Town That Went South in 1959 and The 22 Letters in 1966). He decided to write full-time in 1973.

His non-writing career was varied and rich. He served in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, worked for the British Council, often overseas. In 1966 he went to the London School of Oriental and African Studies and worked as an Education Adviser in Dhaka.

I Passed My Copy of Stig of the Dump on to My Son

My father made a wonderful choice of book for me. My copy was published in 1963, I read it and loved it, I read it again to my son when he was small, and now he's a great big teen boy, he reads it himself. The magic of a great classic story for kids never dies.

Stig of the Dump Wins International Emmy Award 2002

Best children's Drama

From a great book into a great film. I think the very best children's books have strong, simple story lines full of action and cliff-hangers and they have very strong characters and vivid images. All this means that the film of the book turns out to be a winner too. Read the book first though.

I Loved These Classic Stories for Kids Too

Books like Stig, Tom's Midnight Garden, The Borrowers and Skelig make childhood really special. They are also all books that you will enjoy reading too so that bedtime story becomes something that both you and your child will look forward to all day. I can still remember the books of my childhood and the wonderful stories live on in my mind. What a wonderful gift to give to any child.