www.ukla.org
Michael Morpurgo
by Katie Powell and Caroline West
Helping children to develop a love of reading is always a priority for
teachers. In this series of author studies we aim to provide rich
insights into the worlds and work of some popular children's
authors.
We are grateful to student contributors who have given permission for their work to be shared.
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Michael Morpurgo by Katie Powell, B.Ed student at Plymouth University, 2013
His life and writing
Michael Morpurgo is an extraordinary man whose talents for writing have offered him numerous
successes including, but not limited to: The Whitbread Children’s Book Award for Wreck of the
Zanzibar; three time winner of the Prix Sorcières (France) in 1993, 1999 and 2001; winning the
Gold Award for the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize in 1996 for The Butterfly Lion and perhaps the
most critical acclaim came from winning his third Red House Children’s Book Award in 2011 for
Shadow. This award is voted for solely by young readers, perhaps capturing a glimpse of
Morpurgo’s true status amongst his target audience. Morpurgo was also awarded an OBE in 2006
for his services to literature.
Since his first book It Never Rained published in 1974 at the age of 31, Morpurgo has inundated
bookshelves with over 120 published works, ranging from picture books about farm animals to
war depicting novels. He has also had two of his works My Friend Walter and Out of the Ashes
made into television programmes, whilst five of his novels have been adapted for film. War Horse
was made into an award winning play in 2007 and was later adapted into a film, directed by
Steven Spielberg in 2011.
With all of these acknowledgments and more tucked under his belt and being a person who has
spent over four decades writing children’s books, it is rather shocking to discover that Morpurgo
refers to his younger self as ‘the typical reluctant reader and reluctant writer’ (Fox, 2004:5). The
man who has such a renowned writing career began his early years surrounded by poetry and
stories, told to him by his academic grandfather and song-loving mother, yet he would choose to
fill his time with any activities which could steer him away from reading a book and still
remembers vividly the hatred and pain which collided between his own schooling and books. A
five year old Michael would discover a futile and often disturbing relationship with reading and
writing and even developed a stutter when sharing his own literary creations, particularly when
forced to read aloud in front of his peers (Fergusson, 2012).
Perhaps one thing that has never faltered with Michael Morpurgo is his undeniable love for
children and teaching. Although Morpurgo suffered some unhappy experiences during his own
education, he became a primary school teacher, working for eight years, from 1964 to 1972. This
environment was to provide the setting in which he would eventually learn to fall in love with
storytelling once more. In the 1970s Morpurgo and his wife Clare moved to a farm in Devon a
place which to this day is still a home to the charity Farms for City Children (FFCC) founded in
1976. For almost the next four decades, Michael has divided his time between farm work for the
charity and writing.
In 1977, after a chance meeting with the influential poet Ted Hughes on a local riverside walk,
Morpurgo began keeping a diary of his experiences on the farm. If Michael did this, Hughes
promised, he would write a poem for every month of the year. These poems and diary extracts
were made into a collaborative work, All Around the Year which was, as Morpurgo remembers, his
‘learning book’ through which he realised he could pour his love for the countryside and farming
into his writing. It is this farm setting where Morpurgo grounded several of his books such as War
Horse and Farm Boy and which gave inspiration for his Mudpuddle Farm series for younger
readers. Characterisation and setting
Morpurgo always builds strong characters from the start of his novels, introducing the reader to
what and how those pinnacle characters are feeling, thinking and experiencing. This is a key
element to his success in capturing an often critical audience of young and imaginative readers,
who are almost three generations younger than himself; he seems to connect with children with
great ease through his characters. Often, as in Why the Whales Came, Morpurgo uses a first
person recount as the narrative voice. Through this personal style of writing the reader can
experience the story through the eyes and the mind of the protagonist.
Relationships between characters are often crucial to Morpurgo’s stories. Little Foxes pinpoints a
theme of an old and a young person’s relationship. Billy Bunch is an angry and difficult child being
passed from one foster carer to the next, in search of the ‘ideal’ family. Throughout the book the
angst and feeling of unwantedness is mirrored in the animal nature of his companions who are a
fox cub and a swan. The turning point in the plot is the introduction of an older male character,
who ends up adopting Billy as his own. The story follows as this relationship builds and eventually
the anger that Billy felt dissipates and Joe, the old man, teaches Billy everything he knows about a
shared passion for swans. This type of old and young character interaction and relationship is
found in several of Morpurgo’s books.
Setting is also crucial element in Morpurgo’s writing style; he provides his readers with a vivid
image of the ‘where’ aspect of his books. As I think back to the first time I experienced reading a
Morpurgo tale, the picturesque setting of Bryher in the Isles of Scilly, where Why the Whales Came
is based, springs easily to mind: the Birdman’s cottage set far away from the other islanders and
the endless sandy and pebbled beaches, with views of the neighbouring islands. Having first read
this book over 15 years ago, it has definitely had a lasting impact on my childhood literary journey,
with Morpurgo’s ability to pen an image of such clarity for his readers.
Morpurgo does not need to use an abundance of similes and metaphors, but manages to create
powerful imagery regardless through his subtle and well-structured prose:
‘At Shipman’s Head and Hell Bay there were black cliffs hundreds of feet high that rose sheer
from the churning sea below.’ (Why the Whales Came, p.9)
The Scilly Isles were a regular holiday destination for the Morpurgo family and Michael has
carried these experiences and settings into his books on numerous occasions, also providing the
setting for Wreck of the Zanzibar, Arthur, High King of Britain and The Sleeping Sword.
Along with some recurring settings throughout Morpurgo’s writing, there is also consistency of
the themes explored in his texts. The most common themes found in his works are those of
nature and environmental issues, war, community and interdependence and the relationships
between the old and the young. He frequently explores the triumph of an outsider and children
fending for themselves. Reconciliation is also often found as a key aspect of his writing;
regardless of the unsettledness of characters and tones of abandonment or tragedy, Morpurgo
manages to leave his readers with a feeling of closure and happiness. Style
Morpurgo often writes in poetic and meandering language, offering children opportunities to
encounter words which may be completely unfamiliar to them, yet allow for further learning to
take place. Even in one of his picture books aimed at Key Stage 1 children, Morpurgo is not afraid
to challenge the audience with a selection of words which may have been easily substituted, yet
would not have flowed so well without them. Dolphin Boy is the tale of a young boy who befriends
a dolphin and Morpurgo uses words such as ‘frisked’ and ‘frolicked’. Having read this book to a
class of 6 year olds, I can recall the reaction of ‘what does that mean?’ from the children. This
does not concern Morpurgo, as he believes that ‘reading should always involve learning’
(Fergusson, 2012) and this opinion continues throughout his works, always striving for the reader
to excel.
Morpurgo’s stories as a whole are usually worked into a similar pattern of exposition, moral
dilemma, complication, build up and resolution. He never fails to wrap things up with a solid
resolution of a problem or situation. This knowledge when reading Morpurgo books with children
is a real comfort. You can be quite safe in the knowledge that even a sensitive subject in his
writing will be broached sensitively and usually with a positive air.
Elizabeth O’Reilly (2009) a member of the British Council for Literature, describes Michael as an
‘old fashioned’ writer. In contrast to writers such as Jacqueline Wilson, who constantly tackles the
up-to-date issues concerning the children of today’s society, Morpurgo does not focus on
contemporary issues such as divorce and social problems. This is not to say that Morpurgo does
not tackle difficult themes in his books; there are often social and moral issues at play throughout
his novels, yet he seems to concern himself more with the narrative itself, than the issue
concerned. The Mozart Question, for example, is a novel written entirely about the Holocaust, yet
through Morpurgo’s fine and clever crafting, this difficult and often upsetting subject can be read
by children of a young age and appreciated for its positive aspect of being told from a survivor’s
perspective.
Morpurgo’s constant ability to reflect on both personal historical experiences and interests allows
him to captivate his audience. I am yet to discover a child who cannot find beauty and interest in
Morpurgo’s style of writing.
Michael Morpurgo by Caroline West, B.Ed student at Plymouth University, 2013
I am a grower of stories...I am a weaver of dreams, a teller of tales. (Morpurgo, 2006: 8)
I first discovered Michael Morpurgo as an adult when I fell in love with his style of writing and the
optimistic, uplifting endings to his stories. When we were reading children’s literature for a
module in year one, I discovered his 1983 novel, Twist of Gold, which has since been my favourite
of his books as I was completely absorbed and fascinated by the topic and characters. Narrative technique
Michael Morpurgo writes most of his stories in the first person ‘allowing some of the main
characters to talk directly to the reader and share their innermost thoughts’ (Wilkinson, 2003:14).
Gamble and Yates (2008: 52) explain that this avoids ‘the overbearing tone of adult narrator to
child narratee’ and ‘the relative inexperience of the narrator makes it difficult for them to reflect on
the big themes and issues’. Morpurgo avoids this through using the child’s perspective, ‘easy for
the reader to identify and empathise with’ (Wilkinson, 2003: 14), but without appearing
patronising. He also tackles big themes and issues for example death, loss and abandonment,
over a period of time within his stories and in some cases signalling that the narrator is reflecting
upon an issue at a much later date when they have matured. This is shown in King of the Cloud
Forests, and at the beginning of Kensuke’s Kingdom, when the narrator looks back to their
childhood ‘Only now can I...tell the whole extraordinary story’, ‘I would say nothing...until at least
10 years had passed’ (Kensuke’s Kingdom). In the Wreck of the Zanzibar Morpurgo uses letters
and Great Aunt Laura’s diary to make the link between the narrator’s childhood and his aunt’s.
First person narrative technique can help to bring mystery to a story, for example in King of the
Cloud Forests when Ashley is alone and he doesn’t know what has happened to his Uncle Sung.
As Ashley is telling the story the reader is also unaware, therefore there is mystery to be solved
and the reader must wait until the end to discover what has happened.
Themes
One of the key themes in Morpurgo’s stories is war, for example in Friend or Foe, War Horse and
Waiting for Anya. He handles this theme carefully, writing in an appropriate style for children. He
also attempts to show readers both sides to avoid bias and discrimination. In King of the Cloud
Forests; although the attacking Japanese army are occasionally referred to as ‘bombers’ and
‘barbarians’, they are also described as ‘soldiers’. The Chinese army are described as ‘soldiers’
too, suggesting that Morpurgo is attempting to create a balanced, view and avoid prejudice,
leaving the reader to have their own opinions. Another main theme is the relationship between old
and young, explored in many of Morpurgo’s books. There is a close bond between old and young
characters in his books, for example between Uncle Sung and Ashley in King of the Cloud Forests,
Laura and her grandmother in The Wreck of the Zanzibar and Roxanne and the school teacher in
The Dancing Bear. The characters in these situations do not have to be related to share this bond
as Morpurgo finds other connections between them.
One theme which I find particularly effective is the relationship between children and animals in
Morpurgo’s stories. For example, The Dancing Bear, The Butterfly Lion, War Horse, Sam’s Duck,
The Wreck of the Zanzibar, and my favourite, Little Foxes. In an interview, (2001) Morpurgo says
that this connection fascinates him. In many of his books, whether it’s the horse in War Horse, or
with the turtle in The Wreck of the Zanzibar there tends to be an animal connection with a child.
He says he does this unintentionally, doesn’t plan to write about an animal again, and ‘simply is
part of me’ (Morpurgo 2001). I think this comes across in his writing as it seems natural to him to
understand how animals can help children express themselves. The use of this relationship often
saves both the child and the animal from cruelty or death, for example Billy’s plight in Little Foxes
to save the cubs is heroic but in doing so he also saves himself.
Other key themes are loneliness and loss. Morpurgo often explores the situations of children who
are solitary or isolated, children who are bullies and the matter of not liking school, which can be
linked to his own life and the main themes in his stories (Wilkinson, 2003). He writes through the
voices of boys and girls who often share similar traits such as ‘a strong sense of what is right’,
self- reliance and empathy, which express Morpurgo’s moral beliefs (Wilkinson, 2003: 23).
Morpurgo stresses that some of the children who appear lonely in his stories are actually not, for
example Bertie in The Butterfly Lion who ‘had no friends to play with, but...said he was never
lonely as a child’ (Wilkinson, 2003). These children are examples of his way of showing inner
strength and depth of character in his writing which also leads to resolutions and mini resolutions
throughout the stories.
Similarly, the theme of abandonment is present in almost every Morpurgo story. It appears in
different forms, whether it is literal abandonment of a child or an animal, or through characters’
general feelings. Quite often the animal in the story will reflect the abandonment felt by the child,
for example in Little Foxes, Billy is an orphan, abandoned at the police station and later in the
story when the mother fox dies, the cubs are subsequently abandoned. In The Dancing Bear, an
orphaned girl finds a bear cub who she says is alone and needs rescuing.
Morpurgo always finds a way to reinforce hope in the endings to his stories and close with
optimism for the characters. Through loss and abandonment, his characters often complete a
journey of self-discovery and self-identity. Billy in Little Foxes searches for a real home with real
parents, which in the end he finds. In King of the Cloud Forests, Ashley embarks on a physical
journey through Asia but is on an emotional journey to find where he belongs. Culture is a minor
theme here and it is clear he doesn’t belong in China or in England with the people he has met. So
ultimately he returns to live with the yetis where he feels at home. This is made clear to the reader
through the final paragraph and the phrases, ‘I will not be altogether alone’, ‘my only hope of
peace and contentment...is to live...with them’ (King of the Cloud Forests).
Morpurgo’swritinghasbeenstronglyinfluencedbyeventsinhislifeandhisinterests. Hecreates
believable stories with characters children can relate to. He addresses some serious topics, such
as war, but considers all sides of the story. I personally enjoy his use of powerful imagery and the
emotive interaction between children and animals. Above all, I agree with Wilkinson who believes
‘he is a consummate storyteller’ (2003: 14) and I think the sense of hope that each story closes
with is inspirational and important for children to experience. Wilkinson (2003: 1) states that
Michael Morpurgo hopes his stories ‘help children open their eyes against complacency and
prejudice’, which I believe they do.
References
Farms for City Children. [Online]. Available at: http://www.farmsforcitychildren.org/index.htm
(Accessed 9th April 2013).
Fergusson, M. (2012). Michael Morpurgo war child to war horse. London: HarperCollins Publishers
Ltd.
Fox, G. (2004). Dear Mr. Morpingo. London: Wizard Books Ltd.
Gamble, N. and Yates, S. (2008) Exploring Children’s Literature 2nd Edition London: Sage
Morpurgo, M. (2001) Hear Me See Me [Online] Available at: http://www.channel4learning.
com/sites/bookbox/authors/morpurgo/clips.htm [Accessed: 22nd April 2013]
Morpurgo, M. (2006) Singing for Mrs Pettigrew, a story-maker’s journey London: Walker
Morpurgo, M. (2013) Michael Morpurgo: my favourite children’s books. [Online] Available at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9940658/M... childrens-books.html [Accessed 17th April 13]
O’Reilly, E. (2009). British Council Literature. [Online]. Available at:
http://literature.britishcouncil.org/michael-morpu... (Accessed 20th April 2013). Waterstones
Children’s Laureate. (2003). Michael Morpurgo. [Online]. Available at:
http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk/Previous-laure... (Accessed 10th April 2013).
Wilkinson, S. (2003) Michael Morpurgo – Author study activities for Key Stage 2 London: David Fulton
Morpurgo’s books mentioned:
Morpurgo, M. (1974) It Never Rained. Club 75.
Morpurgo, M. (1977) Friend or Foe. Macmillan.
Morpurgo, M. (with Ted Hughes) (1979) All Around the Year. AbeBooks.
Morpurgo, M. (1982) War Horse. Kaye & Ward
Morpurgo, M. (1983) Twist of Gold. Kaye & Ward
Morpurgo, M. (1984) Little Foxes. Kaye & Ward
Morpurgo, M. (1985)Why the Whales Came. Heinemann
Morpurgo, M. (1988). My Friend Walter. Heinemann.
Morpurgo, M. (1988)King of the Cloud Forests. Heinemann.
Morpurgo, M. (1990) Waiting for Anya. Heinemann.
Morpurgo, M. (1994)The Dancing Bear. Young Lion.
Morpurgo, M. (1994). Arthur, High King of Britain. Pavilion.
Morpurgo, M. (1995) Stories from Mudpuddle Farm (with Shoo Rayner). A&C Black. Morpurgo, M.
(1995) The Wreck of the Zanzibar. Heinemann.
Morpurgo, M. (1996) The Butterfly Lion. Collins.
Morpurgo, M. (1996) Sam’s Duck. Collins.
Morpurgo, M. (1997) Farm Boy. Belitha Press.
Morpurgo, M. (1998). Escape from Shangri-La. Heinemann.
Morpurgo, M. (1999) Kensuke’s Kingdom. Heinemann.
Morpurgo, M. (2001) Out of the Ashes. Macmillan.
Morpurgo, M. (2002) The Sleeping Sword. Egmont Books.
Morpurgo, M. (2004) Dolphin Boy. London: Andersen Press Ltd. Morpurgo, M. (2007) The Mozart Question. Walker Books. Morpurgo, M. (2010) Shadow. HarperCollins.