BiographyMichael 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. Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1943, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the last years of the war, then returned to London, moving later to Essex. After a brief and unsuccessful spell in the army, he took up teaching and started to write. |
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Biography
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. Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1943, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the last years of the war, then returned to London, moving later to Essex. After a brief and unsuccessful spell in the army, he took up teaching and started to write. He left teaching after ten years in order to set up 'Farms for City Children' with his wife. They have three farms in Devon, Wales and Gloucestershire, open to inner city school children who come to stay and work with the animals. In 1999 this work was publicly recognised when he and his wife were awarded an MBE for services to youth. He is also a father and grandfather, so children have always played a large part in his life. Every year he and his family spend time in the Scilly Isles, the setting for three of his books.
Morpurgo has a gift for magical storytelling, and his books also often tackle social issues. Out of the Ashes (2001), for example, is about the foot and mouth crisis. His most popular books include Why the Whales Came (1985), which was made into a film starring Helen Mirren; King of the Cloud Forests (1988), which won the Cercle D'Or Prix Sorciere (France); and My Friend Walter (1988) and Out of the Ashes (2001), which were both adapted for television. The Wreck of the Zanzibar (1995) won the 1995 Whitbread Children's Book Award.
The Butterfly Lion (1996) draws on the author's own unhappy experiences at boarding school, and is the story of a young boy who rescues an orphaned lion club from the African bush. It won the 1996 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Gold Award). Kensuke's Kingdom (1999) tells the tale of a boy who survives on an island after falling from his parents' yacht and learns how to survive with the help of the mysterious Kensuke. This book won the Children's Book Award in 2000. Private Peaceful (2003) is set during the first world war and telling the story of two brothers, Charlie and Tommo. It won the 2005 Red House Children's Book Award and the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award and was shortlisted for the 2004 Whitbread Children's Book Award.
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 ...'
He was awarded an OBE in 2006 for services to literature. His latest books are Kaspar (2008) and a play, The Voices of Children (2008) which explores the concept of childhood and how it has changed over the last thousand years.
Bibliography
It Never Rained: Five Stories Macmillan, 1974
Living Poets (compiler with Clifford Simmons) John Murray, 1974
Long Way Home Macmillan, 1975
Thatcher Jones Macmillan, 1975
The Story-Teller (compiler with Graham Barrett) Ward Lock, 1976
Friend or Foe Macmillan, 1977
Do All You Dare Ward Lock, 1978
What Shall We Do with It? Ward Lock, 1978
All Around the Year (with Ted Hughes) John Murray, 1979
Love at First Sight Ward Lock, 1979
That's How Ward Lock, 1979
The Day I Took the Bull By the Horn Ward Lock, 1979
The Ghost-Fish Ward Lock, 1979
The Marble Crusher and Other Stories Macmillan, 1980
The Nine Lives of Montezuma Kaye and Ward, 1980
Miss Wirtle's Revenge Kaye and Ward, 1981
The White Horse of Zennor: And Other Stories from below the Eagle's Nest Kaye and Ward, 1982
War Horse Kaye and Ward, 1982
Twist of Gold Kaye and Ward, 1983
Little Foxes Kaye and Ward, 1984
Why the Whales Came Heinemann, 1985
Words of Songs (libretto, music by Phyllis Tate) Oxford University Press, 1985
Tom's Sausage Lion A&C Black, 1986
Conker Heinemann, 1987
Jo-Jo, the Melon Monkey Deutsch, 1987
King of the Cloud Forests Heinemann, 1988
Mossop's Last Chance (with Shoo Rayner) A&C Black, 1988
My Friend Walter Heinemann, 1988
Albertine, Goose Queen (with Shoo Rayner) A&C Black, 1989
Mr. Nobody's Eyes Heinemann, 1989
Jigger's Day Off (with Shoo Rayner) A&C Black, 1990
Waiting for Anya Heinemann, 1990
And Pigs Might Fly! (with Shoo Rayner) A&C Black, 1991
Colly's Barn Heinemann, 1991
The Sandman and the Turtles Heinemann, 1991
Martians at Mudpuddle Farm (with Shoo Rayner) A&C Black, 1992
The King in the Forest Simon & Schuster, 1993
The War of Jenkins' Ear Heinemann, 1993
Arthur, High King of Britain Pavilion, 1994
Ghostly Haunts (editor) Pavilion, 1994
Snakes and Ladders Heinemann, 1994
The Dancing Bear Young Lion, 1994
Blodin the Beast Frances Lincoln, 1995
Muck and Magic: Tales from the Countryside (editor, foreword by HRH The Princess Royal) Heinemann, 1995
Mum's the Word (with Shoo Rayner) A&C Black, 1995
Stories from Mudpuddle Farm (with Shoo Rayner) A&C Black, 1995
The Wreck of the Zanzibar Heinemann, 1995
Beyond the Rainbow Warrior: A Collection of Stories to Celebrate 25 Years of Greenpeace (co-editor with Michael Foreman) Belitha Press, 1996
Robin of Sherwood Pavilion, 1996
Sam's Duck Collins, 1996
The Butterfly Lion Collins, 1996
The Ghost of Grania O'Malley Heinemann, 1996
Farm Boy Belitha Press, 1997
Cockadoodle-doo, Mr Sultana! Scholastic Hippo, 1998
Escape from Shangri-La Mammoth, 1998
Joan of Arc Belitha Press, 1998
Red Eyes at Night Hodder Children's Books, 1998
Wartman Barrington Stoke, 1998
Animal Stories (editor) Kingfisher, 1999
Kensuke's Kingdom Heinemann Young Books, 1999
The Rainbow Bear Doubleday, 1999
Wombat Goes Walkabout Picture Lions, 1999
Billy the Kid Belitha Press, 2000
Black Queen Corgi Childrens, 2000
Dear Olly Collins, 2000
From Hereabout Hill Mammoth, 2000
The Kingfisher Book of Classic Boy Stories: A Treasury of Favourites from Children's Literature (editor) Kingfisher, 2000
The Silver Swan Doubleday, 2000
Who's a Big Bully Then? Barrington Stoke, 2000
More Muck and Magic Egmont, 2001
Out of the Ashes Macmillan, 2001
Toro! Toro! Collins, 2001
Because a Fire Was in My Head: 101 Poems to Remember (editor) Faber and Faber, 2002
Cool! Collins, 2002
Mr. Skip Collins, 2002
The Kingfisher Treasury of Classic Stories (co-editor with Rosemary Sandberg) Kingfisher, 2002
The Last Wolf Doubleday, 2002
The Sleeping Sword Egmont Books, 2002
Gentle Giant Picture Lions, 2003
Private Peaceful Collins, 2003
Cock Crow (editor with Jane Feaver; illustrated by Quentin Blake) Egmont, 2004
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (illustrated by Michael Foreman) Walker, 2004
The Orchard Book of Aesop's Fables (editor; illustrated by Emma Chichester-Clark) Orchard, 2004
I Believe in Unicorns (illustrated by Gary Blythe) Walker, 2005
The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips Collins, 2005
War: Stories of Conflict (editor) Macmillan Children's Books, 2005
Albatross Corgi, 2006
Alone on a Wide Wide Sea HarperCollins Children's Books, 2006
Beowulf (illustrated by Michael Foreman) Walker, 2006
It's a Dog's Life (illustrated by Judith Allibone) Egmont, 2006
On Angel Wings (illustrated by Quentin Blake) Egmont, 2006
Singing for Mrs. Pettigrew: A Story-maker's Journey Walker, 2006
The Best Christmas Present in the World (illustrated by Michael Foreman) Egmont, 2006
Three for Tea: Tasty Tales for You and Me (with Jacqueline Wilson and Anne Fine) Egmont, 2006
Born to Run HarperCollins Children's Books, 2007
The Mozart Question Walker, 2007
Alien Invasion (with Shoo Rayner) A & C Black, 2008
Animal Tales: Three Stories in One Egmont, 2008
Canon Fire (New Windmills) (editor) Heinemann Educational, 2008
Hansel and Gretel (illustrated by Emma Chichester-Clark) Walker, 2008
Kaspar (illustrated by Michael Foreman) HarperCollins Children's Books, 2008
Riptide: Volume 2 (contributor) Dirt Pie Press, 2008
The Birthday Book (editor with Quentin Blake) Cape, 2008
The Voices of Children (play) Collins Educational, 2008
This Morning I Met a Whale (illustrated by Christian Birmingham) Walker, 2008
Wild at Heart: Animal Stories Kingfisher, 2008
Prizes and awards
1991 Carnegie Medal (shortlist) Waiting for Anya
1993 Prix Sorciere (France) King of the Cloud Forests
1995 Carnegie Medal (shortlist) Arthur, High King of Britain
1995 Whitbread Children's Book Award The Wreck of the Zanzibar
1996 Carnegie Medal (shortlist) The Wreck of the Zanzibar
1996 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Gold Award) (6-8 years category) The Butterfly Lion
1999 Prix Sorciere (France) Wombat Goes Walkabout
2000 Red House Children's Book Award (Overall Winner) Kensuke's Kingdom
2001 Prix Sorciere (France) Kensuke's Kingdom
2002 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Bronze Award) (6-8 years category) The Last Wolf
2002 WH Smith Award for Children's Literature (shortlist) Out of the Ashes
2003 Blue Peter Book Award: The Book I Couldn't Put Down (shortlist) Cool!
2003 Carnegie Medal (shortlist) Private Peaceful
2003 Children's Laureate
2004 Red House Children's Book Award (Overall Winner) Private Peaceful
2004 Whitbread Children's Book Award (shortlist) Private Peaceful
2005 Blue Peter Book of the Year Award Private Peaceful
2006 OBE
2008 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (shortlist)
2008 British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year (shortlist) Born to Run
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