Showing results by author "Michael Morpurgo" in Geography & Cultures

There were dozens of us on the ship, all ages, boys and girls, and we were all up on deck for the leaving of Liverpool, gulls wheeling and crying over our heads, calling good-bye, I thought they were waving good-bye. None of us spoke. It was a grey day with drizzle in the air, the great sad cranes bowing to the ship from the docks as we steamed past. That is all I remember of England…

A stunning new classic from master storyteller Michael Morpurgo in the vein of Private Peaceful and The Butterfly Lion. This is a landmark new novel from the nation's favourite storyteller, set in the unique landscape of the Camargue in the South of France during WW2. There, a young autistic boy lives on his parents' farm among the salt flats and the flamingos that live there. There are lots of things he doesn't understand, but he does know how to heal animals.

The powerful new novel from the master storyteller - inspired by the true story of one man who might have stopped World War II. It's 1940. The train is under attacks from German fighters. In the darkness, sheltering in a railway tunnel, the stranger in the carriage with Barney and his mother tells them a story to pass the time. And what a story. The story of a young man, a young soldier in the trenches of World War I who, on the spur of the moment, had done what he thought was the right thing.

In a cosy den under a garden shed lives a family of foxes. They love to watch football - all foxes do. But their favourite team keeps losing and losing, and it seems like things will never look up. That is until Daddy Fox finds the ghost of a king buried underneath a car park. A king who wishes only to be free. 'Release me,' says the Ghost King, 'and I can do anything. Just tell me your greatest wish.' For these football-loving foxes, might everything be about to change?

Best-selling author Michael Morpurgo turns his storytelling skills to the drama and tragedy of the Spanish Civil War, illustrated by Michael Foreman. Toro, Toro is the story of a young boy growing up in Andalucia, Spain, on a farm rearing bulls for the bull ring. Antonito hand rears a little black calf, and they become firm friends, but the boy doesn't yet understand the fate of the black bulls: the corrida and death.

Eloise has always loved Joan of Arc. Noble, honest and brave, she was everything Eloise wishes to be. And on a bright sunny day in Orleans, Eloise has a very special daydream…. A young girl faces an impossible task - to save her beloved France from tyrants. To free her country, Joan will lose everyone she has ever loved. But she listens to her heart and believes in her calling. Through patience, perseverance, and unbreakable spirit, Joan of Arc leads armies to victory and finds the strength to face the cruellest of destinies.

The exceptional talents behind some of the nation’s best-loved books - from The Gruffalo to The BFG, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt to the Charlie and Lola series - the Children’s Laureates are the perfect ambassadors for children’s literature. It’s been 20 wonderful years of the Laureateship and now all 10 former honourees have banded together to celebrate the only way they know how: through stories and poems.

There once was a little girl, born a princess. While she was still a young woman, she became a queen, our Queen Elizabeth. Now, 70 years later, her reign as the longest serving female monarch in history has seen her stand steadfast through triumph and tribulation, and through the monumental changes that have shaped our world. This remarkable queen has remained devoted to crown, to country...and a corgi or two!

From the Nation’s Favourite Storyteller Sir Michael Morpurgo comes a poetic celebration of our new monarch, King Charles III. There once was a little boy, born a prince. Encouraged by his parents, he grew up with a passion for the countryside, wanting to look after it. Then, as the longest-serving Prince of Wales in British history, he dedicated decades of his life to raising awareness for conservation. Now our king, his devoted work will continue to inspire the protection of our planet for future generations.

Jo-Jo is a very unhappy donkey who carries melons to the markets of Venice, Italy, every day, until his friendship with the daughter of the Doge leads him to become a hero.