G1 is an avid reader. He devours books the way G2 woofs down a bowl of niku udon – without pausing to take a breath. Being a bit of a precocious reader, it has been hard to decide what books are appropriate for him to read – just because he can read the words doesn’t mean the content is suitable for a 7 year old. I confess my knowledge of children’s books is quite poor – beyond Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton (and now, of course, Lemony Snicket, JK Rowling and Cressida Cowell because of their movie-tie-ins) – I’m afraid I don’t know too many good children’s authors.
It was a bit of a relief when he picked up a book by Michael Morpurgo titled “Escape from Shangri-La” from the book sale at Lorna Whiston’s Open Day. He enjoyed it so much, he was done with it in one day.
So I went to look up this mysterious author to see what else he wrote and discovered several very interesting things about him and his books…
Books into Movies
The movie War Horse was based on his book The War Horse:
Children’s Laureate
Michael Morpurgo was the Children’s Laureate from 2003-2005, a scheme that rewards a lifetime contribution to children’s literature and highlights the importance of the role of children’s books.
Award Winning Books
Michael Morpurgo has several award winning books:
- The Wreck of the Zanzibar, which won the Whitbread Children’s Book Award (1995)
- The Butterfly Lion, which won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Gold Award, 1996)
- Kensuke’s Kingdom, which won the Children’s Book Award (2000)
- Private Peaceful, which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children’s Book Award (2004) and the Carnegie Medal (2004)
- Kensuke’s Kingdom, which won the Red House Children’s Book Award (2000) and Prix Sorcière (2001)
- Private Peaceful, which won the Red House Children’s Book Award (2004)
- King of the Cloud Forests, which won Prix Sorcière (1993)
- Wombat Goes Walkabout, which won Prix Sorcière (1999)
It was interesting to note that “Escape from Shangri-La” wasn’t even among his best books…
So there you go… if you’re looking for a new author to introduce to your child, try Michael Morpurgo.
