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Sir Michael Morpurgo is one of Britain’s most popular children’s authors. He has written over 100 books and been awarded a knighthood for his achievements. As well as being a successful author, Morpurgo is a dedicated charity worker, family man, and inspiration to both adults and children alike. Explore the spark of an idea in starting the writing process, map out your poetry project in your local area and create an inspiration scrapbook with this free PDF of classroom ideas.

When war comes to Omar’s Afghan village, 10-year-old Omar and his mother set off on a long and dangerous journey. They’re heading for England and Uncle Said’s café. This resource features three printable worksheets for three Morpurgo books: Sparrow: The True Story of Joan of Arc, Alone on a Wide Wide Sea and A Medal for Leroy. James Clements, education writer and former primary teacher, shares ideas for celebrating the master storyteller this February… The suggested books and classroom activities below are perfect if you want to take part in Michael Morpurgo Month. Or use them to enjoy the richness of his stories at any time of the year. The natural world Kensuke’s Kingdom Read as a class and imagine what it would be like to be there. Next, look carefully at how the author describes the setting. This can support children’s own development as writers.A highly unusual picture book to satisfy the heart of anyone who enjoys making the natural world part of a Christmas celebration. During his long career, Sir Michael Morpurgo has served as Children’s Laureate and written more than 150 books. He’s sold more than 35 million copies worldwide, touching the lives of many readers. This story of adventure, survival and friendship is a staple of the KS2 classroom. As well as being a masterclass in evocative descriptive writing, it provides an excellent opportunity for teaching narrative point of view. Where My Wellies Take Me, by Michael and Clare Morpurgo, uses 40 evocative poems to celebrate the wonder of childhood, germinating a love of verse that will stay with pupils for many years to come.

A delightful version of the much-loved story, this version is told by the puppet himself. ‘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…’ While listening to the story, groups of children could be given different topics from the books to research: the Camargue, the occupation of France during WWII, flamingos, carousels. As well as terrific writing, this book gives older children the chance to explore narrative structure, using the device of a character telling another story. Inspire KS2 pupils to write their own story using a classic tale to raise awareness of an issue that matters to them, with advice from Sir Michael Morpurgo himself. It has been exclusively created to be used with episode nine of the Author In Your Classroom podcast. This is a virtual ‘author visit’ you can share with children whenever you like, absolutely free!A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature. At the end of the story there is a list of facts about Scandinavian robins, this list is brilliant! I never even knew there were Scandinavian robins, let alone their migrating habits and that they are almost identical to our own English robins. In this tale of the unlikely friendship between Will and Oona the elephant, Michael Morpurgo captures the setting of the Indonesian rainforest to perfection. A robin travels alone for many miles to reach his mate by Christmas. In beautifully poetic language, Morpurgo portrays the urgency of the bird’s longing to return home…A highly unusual picture book to satisfy the heart of anyone who enjoys making the natural world part of a Christmas celebration.

He has said: ‘For me, the greater part of writing is day-dreaming, dreaming the dream of my story until it hatches out - the writing down of it I always find hard. But I love finishing it, then holding the book in my hand and sharing my dream with my readers.’ The pictures, with varying perspectives, enable readers to more easily understand the hazardous conditions faced by the small bird. The robin’s return home, which has been anticipated by more than just his mate, makes for a satisfying addition to holiday collections.Michael Morpurgo was born in 1943. He went to school in London, Sussex and Kent and later to the University of London where he studied English and French. He became a primary school teacher and it was during his time as a teacher that he realised he wanted to be a writer. Michael has described how his class were bored with a story he was sharing with them and how he decided to create something more exciting for them instead. Let there be half an hour of storytime at the end of the day in primary schools up and down the country. Make this the half hour they all long for, that they don’t want to be over. Let the children go home dreaming of the story, reliving it, wondering.” Instead he is washed up somewhere marvellous and strange. It’s the island of Lilliput, whose tiny inhabitants welcomed Gulliver so long ago.

Michael Morpurgo OBE is the former Children's Laureate and best-selling author of over 130 books for children, including Private Peaceful, Kensuke's Kingdom, The Butterfly Lion, and War Horse, which first performed at the National Theatre in 2007. Michael, and his wife, Clare, started the charity Farms for City Children, which runs three farms around the country, each offering children and teachers from urban primary schools the chance to live and work in the countryside for a week. www.michaelmorpurgo.com.; Kerry Hyndman is an illustrator and mapmaker. She has a Fine Art degree from Newcastle and a Master's in Illustration from Kingston. In the studio, she works on a range of projects across editorial, advertising and publishing. She has recently illustrated David Long's Survivors (Faber, 2016). Out of the studio she enjoys snowboarding, climbing and cycling. She is also a lecturer in Illustration at Goldsmiths University. www.kerryhyndman.co.uk This BBC radio play of the story is free to listen to, which makes this a valuable text for comparing play scripts and prose, and how the same story can be told in different ways. Use Morpurgo’s tale of a boy who spies a bottlenose whale in the Thames as the centrepiece of your next Key Stage 2 storybook curriculum. Asking pupils to think about some of the words that younger children might find challenging and then writing a glossary to help them understand the book will help them reflect on their own comprehension and to practise communicating the meaning of words. Michael Morpurgo Month takes place every February. What’s the theme for Michael Morpurgo Month 2023?For generations of teachers, myself included, Michael Morpurgo’s books are an integral part of school life. As a child, I remember listening with baited breath as our headteacher read Friend or Foealoud in assembly. He was sure to always stop on a cliffhanger so we’d have to wait a whole week to find out what happened next. In this free PDF there are loads of ideas and writing opportunities. These range from environmental information pamphlets and persuasive letters to news reports. This resource shares an extract from the story, describing the flamingos that live on the salt flats of the Camargue. It also features suggested discussion activities considering the author’s craft. This includes looking at effective features of descriptive writing, specific vocabulary choices made by an author, and introducing unfamiliar vocabulary. This year, the theme is horses. This is to celebrate 40 years of the Morpurgo’s modern classic, War Horse. Use this month to introduce pupils to this beautiful tale.