Michael Morpurgo biography

Born in 1943 Michael Morpurgo describes himself as ‘oldish’. Married to Clare, father to three children and grandfather to six he has written over 100 titles for children over the course of his career.

After studying English and French at London University he took a job teaching primary school children and realised that the books on offer to them were sadly lacking in any real spark so he began to make up his own; something the children enjoyed, so much so that this was what he decided he really wanted to do.

Michael Morpurgo, is noted for his “magical storytelling”, for recurring themes such as the triumph of an outsider, survival, and characters’ relationships with nature, and for vivid settings such as the Cornish coast or World War I.

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 …’

Honoured with an MBE in 1999 then Children’s Laureate from 2003-2005 and recipient of an OBE in 2006, Morpurgo is also a patron of countless charities, and in 1976 began, with his wife, the Farms For City Children charity which aims to relieve the experience of poverty in inner cities and urban areas by giving children the opportunity to live and work on a real farm for a week.

He has received critical acclaim for many of his books, nationally and internationally and counts Ted Hughes, Rudyard Kipling and Robert Louis Stevenson as his favourite authors.

Michael Morpurgo books

• Alone on a Wide Wide Sea
• The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips
• And Pigs Might Fly!
• Arthur High King of Britain
• The Best Christmas Present in the World
• Billy the Kid
• Black Queen
• Blodin the Beast
• Born to Run
• The Butterfly Lion
• Cockadoodle-doo, Mr Sultana
• Colly's Barn Conker
• Cool
• Cool as a Cucumber
• The Dancing Bear
• Dear Olly,
• Dolphin Boy
• Escape from Shangri-La
• Farm Boy
• Friend or Foe
• The Gentle Giant
• The Ghost of Grania O'Malley
• Hansel and Gretel
• I Believe in Unicorns
• Jigger's Day Off
• Joan of Arc
• Jo-Jo the Melon Donkey
• Kaspar
• Kensuke's Kingdom
• King of the Cloud Forests
• The Last Wolf
• Little Albatross
• Little Foxes
• Long Way Home
• Martians at Mudpuddle Farm
• Mossop's Last Chance
• The Mozart Question
• Mr Nobody's Eyes
• Mr Skip
• Mum's the Word
• My Friend Walter
• The Nine Lives of Montezuma
• On Angel Wings
• Out of the Ashes
• Private Peaceful
• The Rainbow Bear
• Red Eyes at Night
• Robin of Sherwood
• The Sandman and the Turtles
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
• The Silver Swan
• The Sleeping Sword
• This Morning I Met a Whale
• Tom's Sausage Lion
• Toro! Toro
• Twist of Gold
• A Visit to the Farm
• Waiting for Anya
• War Horse
• Wartman
• Who's a Big Bully Then?
• Why the Whales Came
• Wombat Goes Walkabout
• The Wreck of the Zanzibar

Latest news: Michael Morpurgo

Spielberg’s War Horse adaptation begins shooting as its sequel makes it stage debut
Director Steven Spielberg began shooting his big-screen adaptation of the Michael Morpurgo book War Horse this week. The movie’s script has been written by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis, with Jeremy Irvine set to play Albert and Emily Watson and David Thewlis his parents. War horse tells the touch [...]

Fantasy news round-up, July 22, 2010
A round-up of the latest fantasy-related news published during the third week of July 2010. The Wind In The Willows gets teaser site An official website has been launched for the 2012 adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. The film will be adapted and directed by Ray Griggs wit [...]

Michael Morpurgo to visit newly re-opened Yellow-Lighted Bookshop in Nailsworth
Michael Morpurgo, former Children’s Laureate, and author of classic stories such as War Horse, Private Peaceful, Kensuke’s Kingdom, Butterfly Lion and many others, will be visiting the newly re-opened Yellow-Lighted Bookshop in Nailsworth later this month Michael will be formally opening the new sh [...]

Steven Spielberg announces cast of War Horse
Ever since Steven Spielberg chose War Horse as his next project there have been thoughts and discussions on who will form the cast. Very pleasingly, as was very much the case with the Harry Potter franchise, the film will feature a largely British cast with the lead role of Albert going to young RS [...]

The Duchess of Cornwall lends her support to the WICKED Young Writers Award
The WICKED Young Writers' Award has proudly announced Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall as its patron from April 2010. The Award is separated into five categories between the ages of 5-25 and allows young people from across the UK and Northern Ireland to enter a piece of writing on a theme [...]

Julia Donaldson to host live internet broadcast to thousands of children
Julia Donaldson, award winning author and creator of modern classic The Gruffalo, will revolutionise literature for children on 26 May when she hosts a live internet broadcast to thousands of children. The event is the latest to take place in the 'Meet Our Authors' programme, run by Scottish Book T [...]

Fantasy news round-up: May 20, 2010
Light a candle for JK Rowling’s charity JK Rowling's children's charity, Lumos, is asking you to light a virtual birthday candle to support its campaign to deinstitutionalise children in eastern European countries such as Moldova and the Czech Republic. Thousands of children living in these inst [...]

The Independent Booksellers Week Book of the Year Award 2010
The Independent Booksellers week, now in its third year, is all about the celebration of independent book shops. This year the week will showcase the newly-invigorated IBW Books of the Year Award and the shortlist has recently been announced. You can then vote for your favourite in your local indep [...]

HarperCollins commission Michael Morpurgo biography
Children's publisher Ann-Janine Murtagh and Fourth Estate Editorial Director Clare Reihill have commissioned a major biography of bestselling author Michael Morpurgo OBE, which will be followed by a children's version told in Michael's own words. Reihill said: "Michael Morpurgo is a master sto [...]

Fantasy news round-up – April 19, 2010
RHS backs campaign to give every school child the chance to grow own food The campaign highlights the health, educational and environmental benefits of food growing, and calls for it to be incorporated as part of a food education for every child. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is backing [...]