Morpurgo Michael

The perfect gift for all ages, Pinocchio as you've never seen him before: telling his own story through the master storyteller and award-winning author of WAR HORSE. Now — there's no point in pretending here — I was, and still am deep down, a puppet. Everyone knows Pinocchio is a puppet. I reckon I must be just about the most famous puppet the world has ever known. But the truth is I'm not just a puppet, I'm more than just bits of wood and string. I'm me. So I thought it was about time that I, Pinocchio, told you my story... So begins this stunningly beautiful interpretation of the classic story. Michael Morpurgo channels Pinocchio's words to tell the famous puppet's story in his own inimitable, cheeky and always funny way. Lavishly illustrated throughout in full colour by the acclaimed Emma Chichester Clark, this is a must-have for all book lovers, and an utterly charming and surprising adaptation of a much-loved tale.

This is a gentle, evocative story of a young Parisian boy's summer in 1960s rural Provence. When Yannick learns that he is to stay with his Aunt Mathilde in the South of France, he cannot believe his luck. If the paintings of his mother's beloved Cezanne are to be believed, surely Provence is paradise itself. So begins an idyllic month for the young boy: roaming the gentle hills and rolling valleys of Aix-en-Provence; daydreaming about his beautiful cousin Amandine; helping in his aunt and uncle's bustling village inn; and, feeling that he has come to the most wonderful place in the world. Then the idyll is spoilt when an important local comes for dinner and Yannick accidentally destroys a precious drawing the man leaves behind. Yannick is devastated by what he has done, and resolves to put things right. But in so doing he makes a surprising discovery... This book is beautifully illustrated inside and out by one of France's finest illustrators.

Revered author Michael Morpurgo remembers the post-war Britain of his childhood in this unflinching and deeply poignant tale of the physical and mental scars of war. From a young age, Michael was both fascinated by and afraid of his grandfather. Grandpa's ship was torpedoed during the Second World War, leaving him with terrible burns. Every time he came to stay, Michael was warned by his mother that he must not stare, he must not make too much noise, he must not ask Grandpa any questions about his past. As he grows older, Michael stays with his grandfather during the summer holidays, and as he finally learns the story behind Grandpa's injuries, he gets to know the real man behind the solemn figure from his childhood. Michael can see beyond the burns, and this gives him the power to begin healing some of the scars that have divided his family for so long. Michael Morpurgo draws on his own experiences and memories to confront the realities of war and its after-effects with great honesty and empathy. It is a story that will help children to learn about looking beyond appearance. It is a hardback gift edition with jacket.

A heart-lifting, heartbreaking story by Michael Morpurgo, the second-biggest children's author in the UK. In the Imperial War Museum is a wooden Dachshund, carved by a German prisoner of war for the children of the British family with which he stayed after the fighting ended. This is the story of how it got there...

This is a collection of Michael's existing Christmas books (The Best Christmas Present in the World, On Angel Wings and The Best of Times) with a new story, The Goose is Getting Fat. You can curl up by the fireside and let Michael Morpurgo envelop you in stories of faraway lands and unexpected adventures. The Best Christmas Present in the World — A mysterious letter in a secret drawer brings one night in the Great War vividly to life. Writing home from the front, a soldier has an incredible story to tell. On Angel Wings — A singing of wings, a glorious light, and a sudden beacon of brightness? It can only mean — can it really? — a visit from the Angel Gabriel himself... The Best of Times — When the Prince and Princess marry, joy rings out across the land. But all too soon it fades away and a shadow hangs over the royal palace. As Christmas approaches, Prince Frederico must find a way to warm his new bride's aching heart. The Goose is Getting Fat — a new story! Gertrude the goose is getting bigger by the day, and Charlie is proud to look after her. But as Christmas approaches, the thought of the grizzly fate awaiting her fills him with sadness. Can he save Gertrude from the Christmas dinner table?

Of all the tales of the Knights of the Round Table, the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is surely the most magical. Here are thrills and enchantment, chivalry and courage, a challenge and a quest. Its hero is the greatest of all King Arthur's knights, Sir Gawain. His adversary is the fearsome Green Knight, who rides into Camelot one New Year's Eve with a challenge that strikes dread into Arthur's court. For Gawain, it is the start of an extraordinary adventure.

In fifth-century Denmark, a murderous monster stalks the night, and only the great prince of the Geats has the strength and courage to defeat him. Beowulf's terrifying quest to destroy Grendel, the foul fiend, a hideous sea-hag and a monstrous fire-dragon is the oldest surviving epic in British literature. Artfully retold and magnificently illustrated, this companion volume to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is made instantly accessible to children by a formidable children's book partnership.

This is a spell-binding modern retelling of a classic children's tale by master storyteller Michael Morpurgo, with glorious illustrations by Emma Chichester Clark. In the town of Hamelin, the rich and greedy live like kings and queens while the poor and sick scavenge rubbish tips for scraps. A lame orphan boy tells the classic tale of how a plague of rats take over the town and how a fantastic piper offers to rid Hamelin of its rats for a single gold coin, then lures away the town's children when the greedy mayor breaks his word. Masterfully weaving contemporary social and environmental themes into a gripping tale, and celebrating it with breathtaking illustrations, former British Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo and illustrator Emma Chichester Clark team up to create a compelling new take on this timeless story. It is created by two of Britain's most celebrated artists: former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo and award-winning book illustrator Emma Chichester Clark.

A wonderful anthology of poems to set fire to the imagination. We only have to 'remember, remember the 5th of November' to see a dark night filled with fireworks and bonfires. In their many different ways — through their sounds, rhythms, stories, surprises and jokes — these poems will set the fireworks crackling in our own heads. Michael Morpurgo has brought together poems by writers as diverse as Spike Milligan and Louis MacNeice, Stevie Smith and John Lennon, Jo Shapcott and Lewis Carroll. Once read, they won't be forgotten — some even beg to be learned by heart. This anthology will form the cornerstone to a lifetime's enjoyment of poetry.

I heard the wind above me in the sails. I remember thinking, this is silly, you haven't got your safety harness on, you haven't got your lifejacket on. You shouldn't be doing this... I was in the cold of the sea before I could even open my mouth to scream. Washed up on an island in the Pacific, Michael struggles to survive on his own. With no food and no water, he curls p to die. When he wakes, there is a plate beside him of fish, of fruit, and a bowl of fresh water. He is not alone...

Tonight, more than any other night of my life, I want to feel alive. 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. Full of vivid detail and engrossing atmosphere, leading to a dramatic and moving conclusion, Private Peaceful is both a compelling love story and a deeply moving account of the First World War.

Vivid re-imagining of the legendary hero Robin Hood by bestselling author of War Horse. After a fierce storm, a boy discovers a human skull, buried beneath the roots of an ancient tree. A skull with a legendary story! Tell the sheriff, tell Sir Guy of Gisbourne, tell everyone in Nottingham, that the Outlaws rule here in Sherwood, that we rule in the king's name! I am Robin Hood. Homeless and lost in a dark, strange forest, young Robin is rescued by a motley crew of misfits. He yearns to avenge his father and seek justice against cruel oppressors, to finally defeat the Sheriff of Nottingham, once and for all. And through his friends, Robin Hood finds the courage to become a legendary hero.

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 superb re-imagining of Joan of Arc by master storyteller and author of War Horse. There was only one creature on this earth who really knew Joan. He was a sparrow, just an ordinary sparrow!He was her best friend on this earth, maybe her only friend, too. 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.

Believing in magic makes dreams come true...Jackie dreams of having a horse of her own, one that'll be the fastest on the estate, the fastest in all Ireland and the fastest in the world. Mum dreams of a little cottage in the country for her and Jackie to live in. What they get is a garden gnome that Jackie finds in a rubbish skip; one she lovingly repairs and paints; a gnome she calls Mr Skip. And Jackie soon discovers that with Mr Skip, anything is possible.

A thrilling and moving novel about an extraordinary animal caught up in a very human war, for anyone who loved The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips or The Butterfly Lion! Dresden, 1944. Elizabeth and Karli's mother works at the zoo, where her favourite animal is a young elephant named Marlene. Then the zoo director tells her that the dangerous animals — including the elephants — must be shot before the town is bombed. Unable to give Marlene up, their mother moves her into the back garden to save her! and then the bombs start to fall. Their home destroyed, the whole family must flee the bombed-out city and through the perilous, snow-covered landscape, all the while avoiding the Russian troops who are drawing ever closer. It would be hard enough to do, without an elephant in tow!

In the town of Hamelin, the rich folk live high off the hog, while the poor and sick must scavenge in the trash that's left behind. And that trash keeps building up and up until a horde of rats overruns the town. In this lively retelling, a spunky street kid narrates the age-old tale of a piper who offers to rid a town of its rats for a single gold coin, then lures away the town's children when the greedy mayor reneges on the deal. With a nod to contemporary social and environmental themes, former British Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo and illustrator Emma Chichester Clark team up to charm readers with a compelling--and ultimately hopeful--new take on a timeless story.

Billy was a champion soccer star, playing for Chelsea in the 1930s. But that was before war broke out... This tale is told through the voice of an 80 year-old man, who looks back on his life as Chelsea's champion striker until the outbreak of war in 1939 and on through his subsequent life.

A charming series of adventures for younger readers, featuring a family of all sorts of animals that live in the farmyard behind the tumble-down barn on Mudpuddle Farm! Six fantastic stories in one volume! Mossop's Last Chance: There's mice in my barley sacks, there's rats in my roof and now there's mice in the corn bin. This time I've had enough. If you aren't up to the job, you will have to go. Mossop the old farm cat likes to sleep — and not much else! So when Farmer Rafferty tells him to catch twenty-six mice by sunset, all the animals have to pull together to give Mossop one last chance! Albertine, Goose Queen: A fox is on the loose, and all the animals except Albertine the goose have hidden themselves inside. Albertine is safe on her island in the pond — at least so she thinks, until the fox starts swimming towards her! Jigger's Day Off: Jigger the sheepdog has just one day off a year. Just one day to chase all those little animals hiding in the corn. But even the best made plans can go wrong! Pigs Might Fly! It's a long hot summer, and Pintsize the piglet wonders if it might be cooler in the sky. But when he tries to fly, he annoys just about everyone. It's time he learned his lesson! Martians at Mudpuddle Farm: Have Martians landed on Mudpuddle Farm? Farmer Rafferty seems to think so. Now it's up to Albertine, Goose Queen, to work it out. Luckily she's the cleverest goose in the whole world, so if anyone knows what to do, she will! Mum's the Word: Something strange is going on at Mudpuddle Farm. Egbert the goat is not himself at all. Instead of grumbling, he's singing and dancing! And he's even greedier than usual!

A gentle and deeply moving story of a young girl and her bear, told with great charm by a master storyteller. High in the mountains, in a tiny village, an abandoned bear cub is adopted by a lonely orphan child. Soon they are inseparable, beloved by the whole village — safe, until the arrival of a glamorous film crew who need a dancing bear!

When the Prince and the Princess marry, joy rings out across the land. But all too soon it fades away and a shadow hangs over the royal palace. As Christmas approaches, Prince Frederico must find a way to warm his new bride`s aching heart.

From master storyteller Michael Morpurgo comes Little Foxes. Bullied at school, nagged in Aunty May's tenth-floor council flat, there's only one place Billy really feels alive — in the wilderness by the canal. There he watches a cygnet on the water and protects a family of fox cubs. Then his secret place is discovered and the fox family decimated. Unwanted and unloved, Billy and the last fox run for their lives.

A charming series of adventures for younger readers, featuring a family of all sorts of animals that live in the farmyard behind the tumble-down barn on Mudpuddle Farm...Two fantastic stories in one volume! Martians at Mudpuddle Farm: Have Martians landed on Mudpuddle Farm? Farmer Rafferty seems to think so. Now it's up to Albertine, Goose Queen, to work it out. Luckily she's the cleverest goose in the whole world, so if anyone knows what to do, she will...Mum's the Word: Something strange is going on at Mudpuddle Farm. Egbert the goat is not himself at all. Instead of grumbling, he's singing and dancing! And he's even greedier than usual...

A charming series of adventures for younger readers, featuring a family of all sorts of animals that live in the farmyard behind the tumble-down barn on Mudpuddle Farm...Two fantastic stories in one volume! Mossop's Last Chance: «There's mice in my barley sacks, there's rats in my roof and now there's mice in the corn bin. This time I've had enough. If you aren't up to the job, you will have to go.» Mossop the old farm cat likes to sleep — and not much else! So when Farmer Rafferty tells him to catch twenty-six mice by sunset, all the animals have to pull together to give Mossop one last chance...Albertine, Goose Queen: «Good morning, Madam, I've come to eat you. Your friends have all gone. There's no one to help you now. They're all very stupid, aren't they?» A fox is on the loose, and all the animals except Albertine the goose have hidden themselves inside. Albertine is safe on her island in the pond — at least so she thinks, until the fox starts swimming towards her...

Joy and heartbreak combine in this bittersweet tale of a champion greyhound`s journey through life — and from owner to owner!