Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (German youth literature prize): Warten auf Anya ( Waiting for Anya) In 2003 Michael Morpurgo became the third Children's Laureate, a scheme he had originally helped to set up with poet Ted Hughes. The Laureateship rewards a lifetime contribution to children's literature and highlights the importance of the role of children's books. Morpurgo firmly believes that 'literature comes before literacy' and wants all children '...to discover and rediscover the secret pleasure that is reading, and to begin to find their voice in their own writing...'

King of the Cloud Forests is a gripping and heartfelt war story from Britain s best-loved children s author, Michael Morpurgo. Applicability of cancellation rights: Legal rights of cancellation under the Distance Selling Regulations available for UK or EU consumers do not apply to certain products and services. a b c d Fergusson, Maggie (2012). Michael Morpurgo: War Child to War Horse. HarperCollins UK. ISBN 9780007387298. Waiting for Anya was adapted as a film of the same title released in 2020. [70] Reception and influence [ edit ]The National Theatre's War Horse: Facts And Figures". www.londontheatredirect.com. 5 August 2013 . Retrieved 5 January 2020. a b Singh, Anita (2 June 2012). "Michael Morpurgo plans to make up for shotgun wedding". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 . Retrieved 5 January 2020. A gripping and heartfelt war story from Britains best-loved childrens author, Michael Morpurgo. Turned away by his own son, Cessies long-lost grandfather finds himself in the place he fears most a nursing home called Shangri-La. Unlike many of today’s authors for young people, Morpurgo rarely features contemporary family issues such as divorce, inadequate parents or urban social problems. Instead, many of his books have historical and rural settings, and he uses his gift for telling enchanting stories to explore timeless values. As Professor Jean Webb points out: ‘stoicism, courage, trust... an humanitarian approach and listening to each other ... [These values] contain an ethical wisdom which transcends the immediacy of the everyday’ ( Inis, Winter 2005). Through the creation of well-rounded and believable child characters, with whom today’s child readers can easily identify, Morpurgo shows that the above values are still relevant to, and much-needed in, contemporary society.

In 1976, Morpurgo and his wife Clare established the charity Farms for City Children, [82] with the primary aim of providing children from inner city areas with experience of the countryside. [83] The programme involves the children spending a week at a countryside farm, during which they take part in purposeful farmyard work. [84] [17] The charity's first president was the couple's close friend and neighbour, Ted Hughes. [24] This approach to writing is paralleled in Morpurgo’s charity, ‘Farms for City Children’, which he and his wife Clare set up in the 1970s. Every year hundreds of children from inner-city schools spend time staying on the three farms and helping with the day-to-day work. Thus, in both his literary and non-literary activities, Morpurgo is concerned to help children to see beyond the confines of their everyday experience and to learn not only about the way in which the world functions, but also about their own role within it. Morpurgo did not learn who his biological father was until he was 19 years old. [15] After the divorce from Michael's mother, Van Bridge had emigrated to Canada and was never talked about. Morpurgo never saw an image of his father until, while watching the 1962 CBC version of Great Expectations on TV with his mother, she recognised Van Bridge in the role of Magwitch and said to Michael "That's your father!". [16] They met in person nine years later. [16]Escaping from China as the Japanese invade, Ashley and Uncle Sung embark on a perilous journey across the Himalayas. Then Ashley finds himself alone in the hostile mountains, battling for his life. He is just about to give up all hope, when he has a mysterious and terrifying encounter . . . A powerful novel from Michael Morpurgo, the nation’s favourite storyteller…Never have Aman and his mother needed a friend more than when a Springer Spaniel appears – thin and war-ravaged – in the mouth of their Afghan cave. Relationships between the old and the new feature in Morpurgo’s work in various ways. Many of his novels re-work ancient myths and folktales: for example, Arthur, High King of Britain (1994), Robin of Sherwood (1996), and The Orchard Book of Aesop’s Fables (2004). Morpurgo explains his reasons for doing this: Michael has now written over 130 books for children so here I'm reviewing only a selection of them.

a b Lawson, Mark (12 March 2009). "Mark Lawson talks to the writer of War Horse Michael Morpurgo about abandoning the army, his absent father – and making his acting debut". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 5 January 2020. How will Bess explain Sir Walter to her family? Especially when he breaks her brother’s fishing rod, steals a horse and smokes cigars in her room! Lyall, Sarah. "Undaunted Author of ‘War Horse’ Reflects on Unlikely Hit". The New York Times. 11 April 2011; retrieved 17 April 2011. a b c d "Michael Morpurgo wins Children's Book Award for fourth time". BBC News. 11 June 2017 . Retrieved 11 June 2017.St Faith's Headmaster letter of recommendation". Archived from the original on 27 August 2018 . Retrieved 2 April 2020. Prior to the 2015 general election, he was one of several celebrities who endorsed the parliamentary candidacy of the Green Party's Caroline Lucas. [88]

In a January 2014 article, Morpurgo stated "as we begin to mark the centenary of the first world war, we should honour those who died, most certainly, and gratefully too, but we should never glorify... Come each November over the next four years, let the red poppy and the white poppy be worn together to honour those who died, to keep our faith with them, to make of this world a place where freedom and peace can reign together." [86] In 2016, he condemned government plans to extend grammar schools as divisive and "quite deeply stupid". [89] Morpurgo, Michael (6 October 2018). "Michael Morpurgo on Bradwell-on-Sea: 'The exhilaration of infinite beauty' ". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 5 January 2020. Michael Morpurgo is the author of many books for children, five of which have been made into films. He also writes his own screenplays and libretti for opera.A stunning edition of this modern classic of World War One, featuring an introduction by the author and insightful testimonies from soldiers. Told in the voice of Private Tommo Peaceful, the story follows twenty-four hours at the front, and captures his memories of his family and his village life – by no means as tranquil as it appeared.