AWARD-winning author Dick King-Smith was in Melksham on Friday to open a new school library.

Mr King-Smith, 84, who has written more than 100 books including The Sheep Pig, which inspired the hit movie Babe, opened the library at The Manor School in Ruskin Avenue.

He met pupils and gave the librarians of each class a reading from his poetry book Jungle Jingles, before holding a question and answer session in front of the whole school, then cutting the ribbon to officially open the library.

The library is something the children and teachers have wanted for a long time and the visit by Mr King-Smith was the culmination of months of hard work to get it ready.

School librarian and Year 6 teacher Vicky Smith said: "We are always encouraging the children to read and having a library like this will encourage them even further.

"The Well Wisher Bookshop in Devizes have been a great help in supplying the books and Sally Crudge in Year 6, has also done a lot of work for the library.

"Having Dick here today has been great for the children and they have already been reading his books."

Mr King-Smith became a writer later on in life and his first book The Fox Busters was published when he was 56.

Before his career in writing, he served in the army during the Second World War and was also a farmer and a primary school teacher.

He said: "Just about the most important thing that happens in life is that children learn to read and enjoy reading, and I think the business of teaching children to read is very rewarding."

Most of Mr King-Smith's books are about animals. He has sold more than five million copies in the UK and was named children's author of the year in 1992.

Mr King-Smith said: "I was brought up in the country and had pets from a very early age."

The school has a copy of one of Mr King-Smith's books for every child and he also gave each class a signed copy of one of his titles.