Morpurgo, Michael 1943-

views updated

MORPURGO, Michael 1943-

PERSONAL: Born October 5, 1943, in St. Albans, England; son of Tony Valentine Bridge (stepson of Jake Eric Morpurgo) and Catherine Noel Kippe; married Clare Allen, 1963; children: three. Education: Attended Sandhurst; King's College, London, B.A., 1967.

ADDRESSES: Home—Langlands, Iddesleigh, Winkleigh, Devon EX19 8SN, England. Agent—David Higham Associates, 5-8 Lower John Street, Golden Square, London W1R 4HA, England.

CAREER: Writer, teacher. Primary school teacher, 1967-75. Joint founder and director, Farms for City Children, 1976—; opened Nethercourt House farm, 1976, Treginnis Isaf, 1989, and Wick Court, 1998.

AWARDS, HONORS: Runner-up, Whitbread Award, 1982, for War Horse; runner-up, Carnegie Medal, 1988, for King of the Cloud Forests; runner-up, Guardian Award, 1991, for Waiting for Anya; Silver Pencil Award, Holland; Best Books selection, School Library Journal, 1995, and Top of the List selection for Youth Fiction, Booklist, 1995, both for The War of Jenkins' Ear; Whitbread Award, 1995, for The Wreck of the Zanzibar; Smarties Gold Medal Award, 1997, for The Butterfly Lion; Editor's Choice, Books for Keeps, 1999, for Cockadoodle-Doo, Mr. Sultana! Awarded the MBE, 1999, for work in creating Farms for City Children.

WRITINGS:

FICTION; FOR CHILDREN

It Never Rained: Five Stories, illustrated by Isabelle Hutchins, Macmillan (London, England), 1974.

Thatcher Jones, illustrated by Trevor Ridley, Macmillan (London, England), 1975.

Long Way Home, Macmillan (London, England), 1975.

(Compiler, with Graham Barrett) The Story-Teller, Ward Lock (London, England), 1976.

Friend or Foe, illustrated by Trevor Stubley, Macmillan (London, England), 1977.

What Shall We Do with It?, illustrated by Priscilla Lamont, Ward Lock (London, England), 1978.

Do All You Dare, photographs by Bob Cathmoir, Ward Lock (London, England), 1978.

(Editor) All around the Year, photographs by James Ravilious, drawings by Robin Ravilious, new poems by Ted Hughes, J. Murray (London, England), 1979.

The Day I Took the Bull by the Horn, Ward Lock (London, England), 1979.

The Ghost-Fish, Ward Lock (London, England), 1979.

Love at First Sight, Ward Lock (London, England), 1979.

That's How, Ward Lock (London, England), 1979.

The Marble Crusher and Other Stories, illustrated by Trevor Stubley, Macmillan (London, England), 1980.

The Nine Lives of Montezuma, illustrated by Margery Gill, Kaye & Ward (Kingswood, England), 1980.

Miss Wirtles' Revenge, illustrated by Graham Clarke, Kaye & Ward (Kingswood, England), 1981.

The White Horse of Zennor: And Other Stories from below the Eagle's Nest, Kaye & Ward (Kingswood, England), 1982.

The War Horse, Kaye & Ward (Kingswood, England), 1982, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 1983.

Twist of Gold, Kaye & Ward (Kingswood, England), 1983, Viking (New York, NY), 1993.

Little Foxes, illustrated by Gareth Floyd, Kaye & Ward (Kingswood, England), 1984.

Why the Whales Came, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1985.

Tom's Sausage Lion, illustrated by Robina Green, A. & C. Black (London, England), 1986, BBC Consumer Publishing, 2003.

Jo-Jo, the Melon Donkey, illustrated by Chris Molan, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1987, illustrated by Tony Kerins, Heinemann (London, England), 1995.

King of the Cloud Forests, Viking (New York, NY), 1988.

My Friend Walter, Heinemann (London, England), 1988.

(With Shoo Rayner) Mossop's Last Chance, A.&C. Black (London, England), 1988.

Mr. Nobody's Eyes, Heinemann (London, England), 989, Viking (New York, NY), 1990.

Conker, Heinemann (London, England), 1989.

(With Shoo Rayner) Albertine, Goose Queen, A.&C. Black (London, England), 1989.

(With Shoo Rayner) Jigger's Day Off, A. & C. Black (London, England), 1990.

Waiting for Anya, Heinemann (London, England), 1990, Viking (New York, NY), 1991.

Colly's Barn, Heinemann (London, England), 1991.

(With Shoo Rayner) And Pigs Might Fly!, A.&C. Black (London, England), 1991.

The Sandman and the Turtles, Heinemann (London, England), 1991, Philomel (New York, NY), 1994.

(With Shoo Rayner) Martians at Mudpuddle Farm, A. & C. Black (London, England), 1992.

The War of Jenkins' Ear, Heinemann (London, England), 1993, Philomel (New York, NY), 1995.

Snakes and Ladders, Heinemann (London, England), 1994.

(Editor) Ghostly Haunts, illustrated by Nilesh Mistry, Pavilion (London, England), 1994.

Arthur, High King of Britain, illustrated by Michael Foreman, Pavilion (London, England), 1994, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1995.

The Dancing Bear, illustrated by Christian Birmingham, Young Lion (London, England), 1994, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1996.

(With Shoo Rayner) Stories from Mudpuddle Farm (including the previously published And Pigs Might Fly!, Martians at Mudpuddle Farm, and Jigger's Day Off), A. & C. Black (London, England), 1995.

(With Shoo Rayner) Mum's the Word, A. & C. Black (London, England), 1995.

(Editor) Muck and Magic: Tales from the Countryside, foreword by H.R.H. The Princess Royal, Heinemann (London, England), 1995.

The Wreck of the Zanzibar, illustrated by Christian Birmingham, Viking (New York, NY), 1995.

Blodin the Beast, illustrated by Christina Balit, Fulcrum (Golden, CO), 1995.

Sam's Duck, illustrated by Keith Bowen, Collins (London, England), 1996.

The King in the Forest, illustrated by T. Kerins, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1996.

The Butterfly Lion, illustrated by Christian Birmingham, Collins (London, England), 1996.

The Ghost of Grania O'Malley, Heinemann (London, England), 1996, Viking (New York, NY), 1996.

Robin of Sherwood, illustrated by Michael Foreman, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1996.

(Editor) Beyond the Rainbow Warrior, Pavilion (London, England), 1996.

The Marble Crusher (includes The Marble Crusher, Colly's Barn, and Conker), Mammoth (London, England), 1997.

Farm Boy, illustrated by Michael Foreman, Pavilion (London, England), 1997.

Red Eyes at Night, illustrated by Tony Ross, Hodder & Stoughton (London, England), 1997.

Wartman, illustrated by Joanna Carey, Barrington Stoke (Edinburgh, Scotland), 1998.

Escape from Shangri-La, Philomel Books (New York, NY), 1998.

(Reteller) Cockadoodle-doo, Mr. Sultana!, illustrated by Michael Foreman, Scholastic (London, England), 1998.

(Reteller) Joan of Arc of Domremy, illustrated by Michael Foreman, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 1999.

(Compiler) Animal Stories, illustrated by Andrew Davidson, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 1999.

Kensuke's Kingdom, illustrated by Michael Foreman, Heinemann (London, England), 1999, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

Rainbow Bear, illustrated by Michael Foreman, Doubleday (London, England), 1999.

Billy the Kid, illustrated by Michael Foreman, Pavilion (London, England), 2000.

Black Queen, Corgi Juvenile (London, England), 2000.

(Compiler) The Kingfisher Book of Great Boy Stories: A Treasury of Classics from Children's Literature, Kingfisher (New York, NY), 2000.

Wombat Goes Walkabout, illustrated by Christian Birmingham, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2000.

The Silver Swan, illustrated by Christian Birmingham, Phyllis Fogelman Books (New York, NY), 2000.

From Hereabout Hill, Mammoth (London, England), 2000.

Who's A Big Bully Then?, illustrated by Joanna Carey, Barrington Stoke (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2000.

Mister Skip, Roaring Good Reads, 2000.

The King in the Forest, Hodder & Stoughton (London England), 2001.

Toro! Toro!, illustrated by Michael Foreman, Collins (London, England), 2002.

Out of the Ashes, illustrated by Michael Foreman, Macmillan (London, England), 2002.

Cool, HarperCollins Canada (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2002.

Because a Fire Was in My Head, Faber (London, England), 2002.

Beastman of Ballyloch, HarperCollins Canada (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2002.

Jim Davis: A High-Sea Adventure, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

The Last Wolf, illustrated by Michael Foreman, Doubleday (London, England), 2002.

Sleeping Sword, Egmont (London, England), 2003.

Gentle Giant, Picture Lions (London, England), 2003.

Mairi's Mermaid, Crabtree, 2003.

OTHER

(Compiler, with Clifford Simmons) Living Poets, J. Murray (London, England), 1974.

(Librettist) Words of Songs, music by Phyllis Tate, Oxford University Press (London, England), 1985.

Some of Morpurgo's books have been translated into Irish and Welsh.

ADAPTATIONS: Why the Whales Came was adapted for a movie titled When the Whales Came, 1989, by Golden Swan Films; My Friend Walter was adapted for a television movie by Portobello Films for Thames Television and WonderWorks, 1993; Out of the Ashes was adapted for a television movie.

SIDELIGHTS: "I write stories, not books," British author Michael Morpurgo told a school class in an interview for Young Writer. "And I write stories for me—for both the child and the adult in me....My stories are about children, not for them, because I know children—they interest me, children of all ages, even adult ones." Morpurgo, since leaving childhood himself, has hardly spent a day out of the company of children: a father by twenty, he was a grandfather at forty-three; a teacher in primary schools for a decade, he has helped to run Farms for City Children—a venture that brings urban children to the countryside—since 1976. In his sixty-plus novels and picture books for young readers, Morpurgo has consistently demonstrated this knowledge of and appreciation for children.

"Undoubtedly a leading figure in the field of children's books," according to Children's Fiction Sourcebook, Morpurgo blends adventure, fantasy and moral drama in his lyrical yet always understated prose. Consistent themes for Morpurgo are the conquest of evil by good and the vindication of virtues such as loyalty, hard work and determination, things that might seem somewhat old-fashioned in the relativistic age of cyberspace. His books are generally uplifting and teach ethical lessons, but Morpurgo is never preachy; the story is primary in such books as Why the Whales Came, War Horse, The War of Jenkins' Ear, Waiting for Anya, The Wreck of the Zanzibar, The Butterfly Lion, Escape from Shangri-La, Billy the Kid, and Out of the Ashes, although each propounds a moral dilemma. Much of Morpurgo's fiction is historical, set in the recent past, and in such exotic locales as the Scilly Islands, China, Renaissance Venice, and the Pyrenees. His subjects range from war to rural life, from the sea to the boarding school, and his writing combines stark realism with touches of fancy and magic.

Morpurgo was born on October 5, 1943, in St. Albans, England, into a country that had been at war for over four years. At the age of seven he went away to a grammar school in Sussex where he was introduced to "class war," as he told Booklist's Ilene Cooper. "The schoolboys and the village boys had fights and difficulties; walking along cow paths, we'd hurl insults at each other. It was an indication that there were people out there who didn't like you because of the way you spoke, and we didn't like them either. And while things have changed since the 1950s, class still seems to me to be a cancer that riddles our society." As a young schoolboy Morpurgo was thought of "as good at rugby and a bit stupid," he remarked in Young Writer. "As a child I think I lived up to that expectation....I never liked writing as a child." It was not until much later that Morpurgo began to love reading, especially the novels of Robert Louis Stevenson, Paul Gallico, and Ernest Hemingway, and the poetry of Ted Hughes, a poet laureate of England and a close friend of Morpurgo.

At age fourteen Morpurgo entered King's School in Canterbury, graduating in 1962. The following year he married Clare Allen, daughter of the well-known publisher of Penguin books. They ultimately had three children together, two sons and one daughter. Graduating from King's College in London in 1967, Morpurgo became a teacher for a time after graduation, and also served as an army officer. It was during his teaching career that he determined to become a writer. "I had a notion I could tell a tale when the children I was teaching really seemed to want to listen to the tales I told them," Morpurgo noted in Young Writer. "An acid test." Reading Ted Hughes's Poetry in the Making influenced Morpurgo to think that he too could string words together rhythmically and literally got him writing. "No better invitation to write was every written and I accepted," Morpurgo remarked in Young Writer. "I love the sound of words, the rhythm of a sentence."

Living in the countryside, Morpurgo also wanted to introduce city-born-and-bred kids to the wonders of nature. To that end, he and his wife started Farms for City Children in the 1970s. Under this program, kids come to stay at the farm and work and take care of animals for several weeks. So popular has the program become, that the Morpurgos operate three farms where more than two thousand children per year have the opportunity to get in touch with nature and themselves. In 1999, Morpurgo and his wife were honored in the Queen's Birthday List with the MBE for their work with Farms for City Children.

Much of Morpurgo's early work has not been published in the United States. This includes both short novels for ten-to-twelve-year-olds, and picture books for younger readers. Already with this early work, however, Morpurgo was making a name for himself in England as a writer "successfully outside the mainstream," as Josephine Karavasil described his work in a Times Literary Supplement review of Miss Wirtle's Revenge, Morpurgo's tale about a little girl who competes successfully against a class full of boys. His 1980 Nine Lives of Montezuma is a short novel detailing nine narrow-escape adventures of a farmyard cat named Montezuma. Told from the cat's point of view, the book also details the farming year as a background story, with "continuity" being the theme of the book, according to Margery Fisher of Growing Point. When Montezuma dies, the cat knows that there is a descendant to take its place in the scheme of things on the farm. Junior Bookshelf critic D. A. Young noted that the story "is told without sentimentality, though not without sentiment," and concluded that the book could be "recommended with confidence to cat-lovers of any age."

This same characteristic—appealing writing about animals without sentimentality—was the hallmark of Morpurgo's first book to be published in the United States, War Horse. Inspired by a painting of a horse in the village hall near Morpurgo's home, the book is the story of the First World War seen through the eyes of Joey, a farm horse commandeered in 1914. Cavalry stood little chance against the mechanized horrors of modern war; Joey endures bombardment and capture by the Germans. He is set to work pulling ambulances and guns, worked by different masters but never forgetting young Albert, the kind son of his original owner back in England. In the end, persistence and courage pay off—Joey is reunited with Albert in Devon. Kate M. Flanagan, writing in Horn Book, noted that "the courage of the horse and his undying devotion to the boy" permeate this book, which she maintained was written with "elegant, old-fashioned grace." Voice of Youth Advocates contributor Diane G. Yates, noting that War Horse is based on a true story, commented: "The message about the futility and carnage of war comes across loud and clear. The characters, both human and animal, that die in the war are all the best and brightest of their generation." Margery Fisher of Growing Point highlighted similarities between War Horse and the classic, Black Beauty, and concluded her review by stating that Morpurgo's book "is a most accomplished piece of story-telling, full of sympathy for an animal manipulated by man but preserving its dignity." Warmly received on both sides of the Atlantic, War Horse helped win an international audience for Morpurgo.

Morpurgo's next book was Twist of Gold, set in both Ireland and the United States. When famine hits Ireland in the 1840s, Sean and Annie O'Brien set off for America to find their father, an adventurous journey that takes them first across the ocean and then across a continent by wagon train and river boat. A story of a childhood test, Twist of Gold is a "touching and inventive adventure story," according to Margery Fisher of Growing Point. Morpurgo's name became more widely recognized in the United States with the 1985 publication of Why the Whales Came and the book's subsequent adaptation for film. Set in 1914 on Bryher in the Scilly Islands off England's southwest coast, this is "a story full of compassion," according to Children's Fiction Sourcebook. Gracie and Daniel have been forbidden to associate with the strange old man on the far side of the island who is known as the Birdman to the locals. But soon the two youngsters learn that the old man is not some evil magician, but simply a person made lonely because of his deafness, and one who had to flee another of the islands as a youth because of a curse put on it. The three become fast friends with the war always hovering ominously in the background. Yet on Bryher there is a parallel war between the islanders and the sea and weather. When a whale washes ashore, the islanders must be convinced to help return it to the sea rather than butcher it, for it was the destruction of sea life that brought the curse to the Birdman's original island. "The success of Morpurgo's novel comes . . . from its portrait of the two children and from its exploration of the blend of superstition and communal spirit existing in an isolated settlement," noted reviewer Marcus Crouch in The Junior Bookshelf. Cindy Darling Codell, writing in School Library Journal, commented that Morpurgo's language "is lean, yet lyrical," and that his descriptive paragraphs "let readers taste the salt of the sea and feel the grit of the islander's lives." Margery Fisher of Growing Point concluded her review by dubbing the book "a forceful and exciting narrative." Another Morpurgo novel that was adapted for film is My Friend Walter, a whimsical story about the ghost of Sir Walter Raleigh.

The Scilly Islands also provide a setting for Morpurgo's 1995 Whitbread Award-winning Wreck of the Zanzibar, the story of a childhood on Bryher Island as told through the diary of Laura, and of her secret treasure, Zanzibar, a wooden tortoise. Laura's narrative is the record of a harsh life, of adversity and the will to overcome. Junior Bookshelf reviewer Marcus Crouch commented that The Wreck of the Zanzibar, while a short book, is "by no means a slight one," and praised the "beautiful timing throughout." Horn Book's Elizabeth S. Watson noted that "The slight book makes a solid impact on the reader, who will finish [it] with a satisfied smile." A further tale with an island setting is Morpurgo's Ghost of Grania O'Malley, a 1996 work set off the coast of Ireland and involving young Jessie, her American cousin Jack, and the ghost of the female pirate, Grania O'Malley, as they battle to prevent the ecological destruction of the island.

Morpurgo returned to an animal-centered story with Jo-Jo, the Melon Donkey, a picture book for older children set in 16th-century Venice. Jo-Jo is a bedraggled old donkey who is laughed at when attempting to sell melons in the main square. The Doge's (chief magistrate's) daughter, however, sees the plaintive look in the animal's eyes and decides to be his friend. When the Doge offers to give his daughter any horse in the kingdom, she opts for Jo-Jo, to her father's disgust. But when Jo-Jo helps to save the city from a flood, he becomes a hero and the Doge allows his daughter her wish. Amy Spaulding in School Library Journal noted that the "writing style follows that of the literary fairy tale, being at once simple and elegant," and a Kirkus Reviews critic commented: "With a nice blend of humor and sadness, Morpurgo brings to life the vibrancy of 16th-century Venice." Other Morpurgo picture books include the "Mudpuddle Farm" series with Shoo Rayner, and for older children, Blodin the Beast and The Dancing Bear, the latter being the story of young singer Roxanne and the orphaned bear cub she has raised. When a film crew comes to her remote village to make a video, Roxanne is lured by bright lights, and decides ultimately to leave with the group, pursuing fame and fortune as an entertainer. Her bear dies the following day. As the narrator of the story, Roxanne's former teacher, says, "There's a lesson to be learned, if one just listens to my tale." School Library Journal contributor Kathy East, however, felt Morpurgo's lesson "likely to appeal more to adults, who will relate to the elderly narrator and his style, than to children."

Morpurgo has continued with picture books throughout his career, often teaming with Michael Foreman or with Christian Birmingham. Working with the former, Morpurgo wrote the 1999 The Rainbow Bear, about a polar bear who decides to hunt rainbows rather than seals. The book is "a fable about the folly of trying to become something that you naturally are not," according to Kate Kellaway, writing in London's Observer. Kellaway further noted that the book is "gracefully told and elegantly concluded." Another picture book collaboration with Foreman is Cockadoodle-Doo, Mr. Sultana!, about a rooster who refuses to be cheated out of a button it finds. For Mary Medlicott, writing in School Librarian, this tale "is rumbustiously full of life," with language "as rich as a plum pudding."

Working with Birmingham, Morpurgo has created a number of picture books, including Wombat Goes Walkabout and The Silver Swan. Catherine McClellan of Magpies felt that the story of a young wombat who becomes lost from its mother after digging a hole and then sitting in it to have a think is a "beautiful picture book." The hapless wombat meets up with a number of Australian animals as it searches for its mother, all of whom shake their heads at his digging and thinking skills. However, these are the very skills that ultimately save them all when they are threatened by a wildfire. In The Silver Swan, a swan is killed by a fox, breaking the heart of the boy who revered the dead animal. "Morpurgo writes compassionately and convincingly," commented Nikki Gamble in School Librarian. Gamble also praised Birmingham's "stunning artwork" in this "reflective story for quiet moments."

Morpurgo's love of animals finds its way into many of his novels for young adult readers, as well. The protagonist of Little Foxes, young Billy, feels attracted to the wildlife inhabiting land by a ruined church; the mythic Yeti save a lost boy in King of the Cloud Forests; Ocky the chimpanzee becomes a companion for Harry Hawkins in Mr. Nobody's Eyes; and giant turtles populate the dreams of Mike in The Sandman and theTurtles. In King of the Cloud Forests, young Ashley Anderson must make his way with a Tibetan Buddhist across China to India and safety, one step ahead of the invading Japanese. Crossing the Himalayas, he and his guide are separated. Lost and near starvation, Ashley is rescued by a band of the legendary Yeti, red-furred, ape-like creatures who revere the boy as a god. Ashley stays in their idyllic community for a time, but is finally reunited with his guide and ultimately makes it safely to England. Jacqueline Simms, writing in the Times Literary Supplement, noted that "this marvelous adventure story . . . will surely become a perennial favourite," while Roger Sutton of the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books thought that this "brief and dramatic novel . . . may woo reluctant readers back to the fold."

Two of Morpurgo's most compelling novels with child protagonists are Waiting for Anya and The War of Jenkins' Ear. Waiting for Anya relates the story of the plight of Jewish children in World War II France. The novel is set in the Pyrenees just after the surrender of the French forces, and its protagonist, Jo, a young shepherd, becomes involved in a scheme to save the children when he discovers that a man named Benjamin is hiding them at a farm near the village of Lescun. Benjamin is smuggling the children across the border into Spain; he is also waiting for his own daughter to make her way to this safe house from Paris. Jo begins delivering supplies to the farm, a job made much riskier when the Nazis occupy Lescun and threaten to kill anyone aiding fugitives. Soon, however, the entire town of Lescun is helping to get the children across the border. Though Benjamin is captured and sent to die at Auschwitz, Anya does finally turn up at the farm and is saved at the end of this "gripping, clearly written story," as Ellen Fader described it in Horn Book. Marcus Crouch, in a favorable review for the Junior Bookshelf, commented that Waiting for Anya "is an intensely exciting story guaranteed to keep a sensitive reader on the edge of his chair." Crouch added that Morpurgo's story is "rich in the qualities which make for critical approval," concluding: "There have been many Second World War stories for the young, none which deals more convincingly with its perils and dilemmas."

The War of Jenkins' Ear is an English boarding school tale in which young Toby Jenkins meets a remarkable boy named Christopher who claims to be the reincarnation of Jesus. Christopher begins to develop a following before being betrayed by one of his friends and expelled from the school for blasphemy. Quill and Quire contributor Joanne Schott commented: "A strict school of forty years ago makes a credible setting and gives scope for the complex relationships Morpurgo uses to examine questions of belief and credulity, deception and self-deception, loyalty and the pressure of doubt, and much more." Tim Rausch, writing in School Library Journal, called The War of Jenkins' Ear a book that "tackles provocative themes, dealing with the issues of hate, revenge, prejudice, and especially faith in an intelligent and fresh manner."

Morpurgo's 1996 novel The Butterfly Lion is a blend of fantasy and fiction, a story within a story about a ten-year-old boy who runs away from his miserable school and ends up in a dusty house where an old widow shows him the figure of a giant lion cut into the chalk hillside. This woman tells the boy about her dead husband, Bertie, who, as a youth growing up in South Africa, had as his pet and only friend a white lion. When his father sold the lion one day, Bertie vowed to find him again. This he did during World War One and then brought the animal with him to England where it ultimately died. Bertie thereafter spent forty years carving its likeness in the hillside, a figure visited by thousands of butterflies after the rains. Returning to school, the young boy learns that both Bertie and his widow had died many years before. "The story sounds hokey," noted Booklist's Kathleen Squires, "but Morpurgo evocatively captures the South African landscape and presents young, lonely Bertie's heartbreak and blossoming friendship and love . . . with genuine emotion and tender passion." Reviewing the novel in School Library Journal, Gebregeorgis Yohannes concluded, "In addition to being a successful adventure story, the book demonstrates the value of character—of keeping promises, standing up for one's beliefs, and courage under fire." The Butterfly Lion, "at once marvelous and matter-of-fact," according to a writer for Kirkus Reviews, won England's prestigious Smarties Gold Medal Award in 1997. "This dreamlike story is suffused with a man's lifelong love for a rare, gentle animal friend," the critic for Kirkus Reviews concluded.

Morpurgo has also breathed new life into old legends. His retelling of the Arthurian tales in Arthur, High King of Britain is "the real thing—darkness and all," according to Heather McCammond-Watts in Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. McCammond-Watts explained that the Arthur of Morpurgo's book, who rescues a young time-traveler from the modern era, "is a complex character: an impetuous youth, an august yet sometimes rash ruler, a jealous lover, and a tortured man trying to live up to his epic persona." School Library Journal contributor Helen Gregory concluded that Morpurgo's Arthur "stands with the best." With Robin of Sherwood, Morpurgo added twists to the old tale—an albino Marian for example—that creates an "outstanding new version of the Robin Hood legend," according to Nancy Zachary in Voice of Youth Advocates. "Shelve this treasure alongside Howard Pyle's and Ian Serraillier's classic folktales," concluded Zachary. Similarly, Booklist's Carolyn Phelan found the book to be a "fine, original piece of storytelling, faithful to the legend of Robin Hood."

Additionally, Morpurgo has tackled the legend of the Maid of Orleans in his 1999 Joan of Arc of Domremy, a tale that begins in the modern day when young Eloise Hardy moves with her family to Orleans, France, and begins studying legends of Joan. Steeping herself in such lore, Eloise one day hears Joan's voice telling her the story of her life. "Morpurgo is an accomplished writer and storyteller," wrote Shirley Wilton in a School Library Journal review. "Facts and popular beliefs, history and legend are drawn upon to create an exciting tale." A reviewer for Publishers Weekly felt that Morpurgo's storytelling "is premised on faith," and concluded that the book's "polish and panoramic scope will lure and hold readers."

With Farm Boy, Morpurgo returned to the here and now to detail the memories of four generations of an English farming family. Set once again in Morpurgo's beloved Devon, the book tells on one level the story of a young boy who goes to visit his grandfather on the farm. His grandfather in turn enchants the boy with tales of how farming was done before mechanization, capturing the spirit of rural life before the internal combustion engine and agribusiness. "Morpurgo's storytelling style is unhurried," noted School Library Journal's Lee Bock, "reflecting great skill at giving unique voices to his characters." Bock continued, "The memories of [Grandpa's] horse are particularly poignant, and readers will learn many details about life during the early part of this century and World War I." A critic for Kirkus Reviews called the book "a small gem" and an "expertly crafted reminder that stories can link generations."

Memories of World War II figure in Escape from Shangri-La, in which an old tramp, Popsicle, watching Cessie's house, turns out to be her long-lost grandfather. When the old man has a stroke, he is put in the Shangri-La nursing home, but he is withering away there. Finally Cessie finds her grandfather's real home, an old lifeboat once used to evacuate the British forces from Dunkirk during the Second World War. From a photograph and news clippings, Cessie learns her grandfather took part in this heroic effort, and the sight of a faded photo of the Frenchwoman who hid him from the Germans when he fell off the boat rescuing others makes Popsicle recall the past. Cessie helps her grandfather and other residents of the home make a break for it; they head to France to track down this woman, only to discover she never returned from German arrest in 1940. Going back to England, the entire family is again happily reunited. "Readers will enjoy the climactic adventure and respond on a deeper level to the friendship between a spirited child and a lifelong loner," wrote John Peters in a Booklist review.

Morpurgo may well be one of the most versatile children's writers at work. Into his fourth decade of writing, his production and range have neither slowed nor narrowed. His themes and topics of books from the new millennium take readers from a Robinson Crusoe-type adventure yarn to a young girl recording the tragedy of the outbreak of disease on her farm, to the reminiscences of an old man. Morpurgo does not miss a beat as he changes from one era to another or from adventure to social commentary. In Kensuke's Kingdom he sets a young boy adrift on an island, on his own except for a dog and a mysterious old Japanese man, the Kensuke of the title, who slowly allows the boy—who fell overboard from the family boat—into his heart. "This must be ranked alongside Morpurgo's best," declared Linda Newbery in a School Librarian review, "and like several of his most successful stories, has the feel of a fable." Julia Eccleshore, reviewing the audiobook of the same title in Books for Keeps, also had praise for this "excellent adventure," noting that it is a "story full of insight and mood changes."

The reflections of age are conveyed in several other Morpurgo titles. The Last Wolf features an old man who is researching his family tree on the computer that his granddaughter has persuaded him to use. While doing his research, he stumbles across a tale set during the Jacobite rebellion in Scotland in 1745, when a young boy whose parents have been killed finds a similarly orphaned wolf pup. Together the two manage to escape to Canada and a new life. In Toro! Toro! a grandfather tells his grandson how he once planned to save a bull from the bullfighting ring by setting the herd free. The very night he planned to do this, however, the horrors of the Spanish Civil War reached his village when bombs kill his entire family. A reviewer for the Times Educational Supplement called this an "elegantly told tale," while George Hunt, writing in Books for Keeps similarly noted that the book was both "moving and exciting." Another old man reflects on his life from boyhood to his years of soccer-playing as a youth, and then his time in the Second World War and his capture by, and subsequent escape from, enemy troops in Billy the Kid, a graphic novel in format, with illustrations by Foreman. Chris Brown, writing in School Librarian, noted that though the book was a "skeleton" of a novel, it was still a story of "tremendous life and liveliness." Brown praised Morpurgo's "masterly structure and telling," and found that the book had a profound emotional effect. "Inevitably the tale gets behind the eyes," Brown concluded.

More traditional in format is the 2001 novel Out of the Ashes, in which thirteen-year-old Becky Morley keeps a diary of the disastrous hoof-and-mouth disease outbreak in England in 2001. Becky is a farmer's daughter, proud of her dad and loving her country life and her horse. All this changes as the epidemic reaches their Devon farm—as it did all three of Morpurgo's own farms in his Farms for City Children, forcing him to close down operations for a time. Within a matter of months the work of a lifetime has been destroyed for the Morleys and other farmers like them, but the novel does end on a positive note, giving hope for the future. Brown, writing in School Librarian, felt that Morpurgo's book "leads us into the personal tragedies and awful aftermath of the foot and mouth epidemic." Brown also called Morpurgo a "master of his art." Hunt, writing in Books for Keeps, likewise found Out of the Ashes to be a "short novel powerfully told," while a contributor for the Times Educational Supplement dubbed it a "hard-hitting novel" as well as a "heartfelt account."

Morpurgo has, over the years, contributed original children's literature in historical fiction, animal stories, fantasies, picture books, easy readers, and retellings of legend and myth. Often employing the rural setting that he knows so well, he typically places his young male or female protagonist in challenging situations that call up the best in them—courage, loyalty, and self-confidence. Often praised for the simple elegance of his prose style, Morpurgo's works are "heartwarming and sensitive," according to Jennifer Taylor in St. James Guide to Young Adult Writers. Taylor further commented, "Morpurgo's imaginative empathy, whether writing about animals or people, makes for pure gold. His novels certainly open up horizons for young readers."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Children's Literature Review, Volume 51, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1999, pp. 116-151.

St. James Guide to Young Adult Writers, 2nd edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1999, pp. 603-605.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 1, 1984, p. 814; September 15, 1985, p. 137; July, 1988, p. 1814; November 1, 1989, p. 564; May 1, 1990, p. 1708; August, 1990, p. 2178; March 15, 1992, p. 1364; April 1, 1993, p. 1425; September 1, 1994, p. 44; September 1, 1995, p. 53; November 15, 1995, p. 560; January 1, 1996, Ilene Cooper, "The Booklist Interview," p. 816; March 15, 1996, p. 1282; October 1, 1996, Carolyn Phelan, review of Robin of Sherwood, p. 350; June 1, 1997, Kathleen Squires, review of The Butterfly Lion, p. 1704; September 15, 1998, John Peters, review of Escape from Shangri-La, p. 231.

Books for Keeps, September, 1997, Clive Barnes, review of Sam's Duck, p. 23; May, 1998, Gwynneth Bailey, review of Red Eyes at Night, p. 24; March, 1999, Rosemary Stores, review of Cockadoodle-Doo, Mr. Sultana!, p. 21; May, 1999, review of The Rainbow Bear, p. 6; July, 2001, Julia Eccleshore, review of Kensuke's Kingdom (audiobook), p. 24; January, 2002, George Hunt, review of Out of the Ashes, p. 23; March, 2002, George Hunt, review of Toro! Toro!, p. 22.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July-August, 1988, Roger Sutton, review of King of the Cloud Forests, pp. 234-235; March, 1991, p. 172; March, 1993, p. 221; May, 1995, Heather McCammond-Watts, review of Arthur, High King of Britain, p. 317; December, 1995, p. 135; May, 1996, pp. 309-10; January, 1997, p. 181.

Carousel, spring, 1997, p. 17.

Growing Point, November, 1980, Margery Fisher, review of The Nine Lives of Montezuma, p. 3776; November, 1982, Margery Fisher, review of War Horse, p. 3989; January, 1984, Margery Fisher, review of Twist of Gold, pp. 4183-4184; January, 1987, Margery Fisher, review of Why the Whales Came, p. 4749; November, 1989, pp. 5240-5245.

Horn Book, December, 1983, Kate M. Flanagan, review of War Horse, pp. 711-712; July-August, 1991, Ellen Fader, review of Waiting for Anya,p. 458; March-April, 1996, Elizabeth S. Watson, review of The Wreck of the Zanzibar, p. 198.

Junior Bookshelf, December, 1980, D. A. Young, review of The Nine Lives of Montezuma, p. 294; December, 1985, Marcus Crouch, review of Why the Whales Came, p. 279; August, 1988, pp. 179-180; December, 1989, pp. 298-299; February, 1991, Marcus Crouch, review of Waiting for Anya, pp. 35-36; June, 1992, pp. 113-114; August, 1995, Marcus Crouch, review of The Wreck of the Zanzibar, p. 148.

Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 1987, review of Jo-Jo, the Melon Donkey, p. 1677; April 15, 1997, review of The Butterfly Lion, p. 645; December 15, 1998, review of Farm Boy.

Magpies, November, 1999, Catherine McClellan, review of Wombat Goes Walkabout, p. 6.

Observer (London, England), October 24, 1999, review of Wombat Goes Walkabout, p. 13, and Kate Kellaway, review of The Rainbow Bear, p. 13.

Publishers Weekly, May 12, 1997, pp. 76-77; February 12, 1999, review of Joan of Arc of Domremy, p. 95.

Quill and Quire, July, 1993, Joanne Schott, review of The War of Jenkins' Ear, p. 59.

School Librarian, February, 1997, p. 33; autumn, 1998, Norton Hodges, review of Escape from Shangri-La, p. 147; spring, 1999, Jam Cooper, review of Joan of Arc of Domremy, pp. 40-41; summer, 1999, Mary Medlicott, review of Cockadoodle-Doo, Mr. Sultana!, p. 79; winter, 1999, Linda Newbery, review of Kensuke's Kingdom, p. 192; spring, 2001, Chris Brown, review of Billy the Kid, pp. 47-48; summer, 2001, Nikki Gamble, review of The Silver Swan, p. 90; autumn, 2001, Chris Brown, review of Out of the Ashes, pp. 158-159.

School Library Journal, February, 1987, Cindy Darling Codell, review of Why the Whales Came, p. 82; September, 1987, p. 181; April, 1988, Amy Spaulding, review of Jo-Jo, the Melon Donkey, p. 87; September, 1988, p. 200; November, 1990, p. 117; April, 1991, p. 122; December, 1991, p. 31; February, 1993, p. 94; November, 1993, p. 156; July, 1995, Helen Gregory, review of Arthur, High King of Britain, p. 89; September, 1995, Tim Rausch, review of The War of Jenkins' Ear, p. 219; December, 1995, "SLJ's Best Books, 1995," p. 22; May, 1996, Kathy East, review of The Dancing Bear, p. 114; August, 1997, Gebregeorgis Yohannes, review of The Butterfly Lion, p. 158; March, 1999, Lee Bock, review of Farm Boy, p. 212; May, 1999, Shirley Wilton, review of Joan of Arc of Domremy, p. 128; April, 2001, Edith Ching, review of The Kingfisher Book of Great Boy Stories, p. 146.

Times Educational Supplement, January 14, 1983, p. 30; January 13, 1984, p. 42; June 6, 1986, p. 54; November 27, 1987, p. 48; February 5, 1988, pp. 54, 60; March 10, 1989, p. B16; November 24, 1989, p. 27; February 15, 1991, p. 32; May 24, 1991, p. 24; July 2, 1993, p. 11; November 4, 1994, p. 89; May 31, 1995, p. 15; February 8, 2002, review of The Last Wolf, Toro! Toro!, and Out of the Ashes, pp. 20-21.

Times Literary Supplement, March 26, 1982, Josephine Karavasil, "Matters of Rhythm and Register," p. 347; February 19, 1988, Jacqueline Simms, "Magic Man," p. 200.

Voice of Youth Advocates, April, 1984, Diane G. Yates, review of War Horse, p. 32; February, 1997, Nancy Zachary, review of Robin of Sherwood, p. 330; June, 1998, Kathleen Beck, review of The War of Jenkins' Ear, pp. 103-104.