Dick King-Smith

Ever since she was four years old, Sophie has wanted to be a lady farmer. She has been collecting animals, and so far her menagerie consists of snails, centipedes, a white rabbit, a black cat, and a puppy named Puddle. Now Sophie is saving money in her piggy bank to buy her own farm, but when she adds it up she only has #12.60. She must think of ways to raise more funds!

When eight-year-old Kirstie brings home a strange egg from the Scottish shore, her family never expects it to hatch. But the next day, Kirstie discovers a baby sea monster swimming in her bathtub! Part horse, part toad, part turtle, and part crocodile, he's the oddest-looking creature Kirstie's family has ever seen. Only Kirstie's grandfather knows what the beastie really is: a Water Horse!

Sophie already has a rabbit and a cat and a dog, but what she'd really love is a pony. Good fortune comes Sophie's way when she's invited to spend her summer holiday in Scotland with Great Aunt Al.

Sophie is small but very determined. She loves animals and is going to be a lady farmer when she grows up. On her fifth birthday, she gets a model farm and lots of toy animals. What she wants most of all, though, is a real animal - like a cat.