Special Collections
Micheal Morpurgo's magnificent tales
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Oxford Reading Tree TreeTops Greatest Stories
by Adèle Geras and Ian Beck and Michael Morpurgo and Kimberley ReynoldsThe peaceful town of Hamelin is overrun with rats: they are raiding larders, hiding in cupboards, sneaking into bed linen and driving the locals to despair. Desperate for help, they turn to the mysterious Pied Piper who promises a solution. But when the Piper falls out with the mayor, he takes away more than the townspeople ever expected. A wonderfully vivid interpretation of the story, which tackles trust, pride and revenge. TreeTops GreatestStories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a newgeneration, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.
The Butterfly Lion
by Michael Morpurgo and Christian BirminghamILLUSTRATED BY CHRISTIAN BIRMINGHAM. A lyrical and moving tale of a young boy growing up in Africa, and his lifelong friendship with a white lion. "All my life I'll think you you, I promise I will. I won't ever forget you. " Bertie rescues an orphaned white lion cub from the African veld. They are inseparable until Bertie is sent to boarding school far away in England and the lion is sold to a circus. Bertie swears that one day they will see one another again, but it is the butterfly lion which ensures that their friendship will never be forgotten.
The Butterfly Lion (PDF)
by Christian Birmingham and Michael MorpurgoA lyrical and moving tale of a young boy growing up in Africa, and his lifelong friendship with a white lion. All my life I'll think you you, I promise I will. I won't ever forget you. Bertie rescues an orphaned white lion cub from the African veld. They are inseparable until Bertie is sent to boarding school far away in England and the lion is sold to a circus. Bertie swears that one day they will see one another again, but it is the butterfly lion which ensures that their friendship will never be forgotten.
Wombat Goes Walkabout (PDF)
by Christian Birmingham and Michael MorpurgoWombat loves digging deep holes and thinking deep thoughts, but nobody thinks much of that until danger threatens the bush and the small wombat comes up with a great big idea ...
The Amazing Story Of Adolphus Tips
by Michael Morpurgo and Michael ForemanA heart-warming tale of courage and warmth, set against the backdrop of the second world war, about an abandoned village, a lifelong friendship and one very adventurous cat!'Classic Morpurgo brilliance' - Publishing News "Something's up. Something big too, very big. At school, in the village, whoever you meet, it's all anyone talks about. It's like a sudden curse has come down on us all. It makes me wonder if we'll ever see the sun again. " It's 1943, and Lily Tregenze lives on a farm, in the idyllic seaside village of Slapton. Apart from her father being away, and the 'townie' evacuees at school, her life is scarcely touched by the war. Until one day, Lily and her family, along with 3000 other villagers, are told to move out of their homes - lock, stock and barrel. Soon, the whole area is out of bounds, as the Allied forces practise their landings for D-day, preparing to invade France. But Tips, Lily's adored cat, has other ideas - barbed wire and keep-out signs mean nothing to her, nor does the danger of guns and bombs. Frantic to find her, Lily makes friends with two young American soldiers, who promise to help her. But will she ever see her cat again? Lily decides to cross the wire into the danger zone to look for Tips herself. . . Now, many years later, as Michael is reading his Grandma Lily's diary, he learns about The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips - and wonders how one adventurous cat could still affect their lives sixty years later.
Collins Big Cat - Pinocchio
by Clare Morpurgo and Michael MorpurgoRemind yourself of the enchanting story of Pinocchio, by Pinocchio, retold here by the multi-award winning author Michael Morpurgo and beautifully illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark. A truly beautiful edition that brings this classic tale back to life.
Alone on a Wide Wide Sea (New Edition)
by Michael MorpurgoHow far would you go to find yourself? The lyrical, life-affirming new novel from the bestselling author of Private Peaceful There were dozens of us on the ship, all up on deck for the leaving of Liverpool, gulls wheeling and crying over our heads, calling good-bye. . . That is all I remember of England. When six-year-old orphan Arthur Hobhouse is shipped to Australia after WWII he loses his sister, his country and everything he knows. Overcoming enormous hardships with fellow orphan Marty, Arthur is finally saved by the extraordinary people he meets and by his talent for boat-design and sailing. Now he has built a special boat for his daughter Allie - a solo yacht designed to carry her to England in search of his long-lost sister. Will the threads of Arthur's life finally come together? I was there on the quayside to see Allie take her out for the first time, saw her dancing through the waves, and I knew I'd never built a finer boat.
Alone on a Wide Wide Sea (New Edition) (PDF)
by Michael Morpurgo'There were dozens of us on the ship, boys and girls. We were off to Australia. But it might as well have been the mon'. Orphaned in WWII, Arthur is separated from his sister and sent to the other side of the world. There his extraordinary journey continues as he and his friend Marty survive brutal captivity on a working farm, find a new family with the eccentric Aunty Meg and her animals, and discover their talent for designing yachts. Sixty years later, Arthur's daughter Allie sets sail single-handed in a yacht designed by her father, determined to find his long-lost sister in England. Can family love stretch across time and the vastness of the oceans? And will the threads of Arthur's life finally come together?
Born to Run (PDF)
by Michael MorpurgoJoy and heartbreak combine in this bittersweet tale of a champion greyhound's journey through life - and from owner to owner...
The Butterfly Lion (PDF)
by Michael MorpurgoA lyrical and moving tale of a young boy growing up in Africa, and his lifelong friendship with a white lion. “All my life I’ll think you you, I promise I will. I won’t ever forget you.” Bertie rescues an orphaned white lion cub from the African veld. They are inseparable until Bertie is sent to boarding school far away in England and the lion is sold to a circus. Bertie swears that one day they will see one another again, but it is the butterfly lion which ensures that their friendship will never be forgotten.
Canon Fire (PDF)
by Michael MorpurgoThis is a 'New Windmills Collection' of stories from the literary heritage paired with stories by contemporary writers. Based on the recommended authors list in the revised Key Stage 3 curriculum, this collection brings together great authors from the literary heritage and the best contemporary writers. The book is divided into four sections each of which introduces readers to a different genre. A six lesson scheme of work and assessment task accompanies each genre. Each contemporary story is paired with a story from the literary heritage to help make classic literature more accessible. The pairing of stories encourages comparisons between texts, helping students to develop an important skill required at GCSE.
Collins Drama - Private Peaceful (PDF)
by Simon Reade and Michael MorpurgoA stunning adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's elegaic novel of the First World War. As young Thomas Peaceful looks back over his childhood from the battlefields of the First World War, his memories are full of family life deep in the countryside. But the clock is ticking, and every moment that Tommo spends remembering how things used to be, means another moment closer to something that will change his life forever.
Cool!
by Michael MorpurgoMichael Morpurgo's inspiring new story of Robbie, a boy in a coma - victim of a car accident. Locked inside his own head, able to hear but not move or speak, Robbie tries to keep himself from slipping ever deeper into unconsciousness.
Cool! (PDF)
by Michael MorpurgoMichael Morpurgo's inspiring new story of Robbie, a boy in a coma - victim of a car accident. Locked inside his own head, able to hear but not move or speak, Robbie tries to keep himself from slipping ever deeper into unconsciousness.
The Dancing Bear (PDF)
by Michael MorpurgoA gentle and moving story of a young girl and her bear, from bestselling children's author Michael Morpurgo. High in the mountains, in a tiny village, an abandoned bear cub is adopted by a lonely orphan child. Soon they are inseparable.
An Elephant In The Garden (PDF)
by Michael MorpurgoA 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 Lionâe¦ By the award-winning former Childrenâe(tm)s Laureate and author of War Horse. Dresden, 1945. 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 âe" including the elephants âe" must be shot before the town is bombed. Unable to give Marlene up, their mother moves her into the back garden to save herâe¦ 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 towâe¦
Farm Boy
by Michael MorpurgoThis touching story of the close relationship between grandson and grandfather, and the special secret they share, is enhanced by factual illustrations of farming history from the beginning of the century.
Farm Boy (PDF)
by Michael MorpurgoThis touching story of the close relationship between grandson and grandfather, and the special secret they share, is enhanced by factual illustrations of farming history from the beginning of the century.
Friend or Foe (Literacy Evolve, Year 5) (PDF)
by Michael MorpurgoEvacuated from London, David and Tucky feel like the war is a long way away from their new life in the Devon countryside. Then one night the skyline of the moor is lit up with gun flashes, and the distant crump of bombing miles away brings the war back to them and shatters their new-found peace.
Kensuke's Kingdom
by Michael MorpurgoWashed up on an island in the Pacific, Michael struggles to survive on his own. He can't find food, he can't find water. In the end, he curls up 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. Please note: This title is also available to purchase or loan in hard copy Uncontracted and Contracted Unified English Braille. Please contact the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 to buy through our Braille on Demand service or loan through our Library.
Kensuke's Kingdom (PDF)
by Michael MorpurgoWashed up on an island in the Pacific, Michael struggles to survive on his own. He can't find food, he can't find water. In the end, he curls up 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. Please note: This title is also available to purchase or loan in hard copy Uncontracted and Contracted Unified English Braille. Please contact the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 to buy through our Braille on Demand service or loan through our Library.
Listen To the Moon (PDF)
by Michael MorpurgoMay, 1915.Alfie and his fisherman father find a girl on an uninhabited island in the Scillies - injured, thirsty, lost. and with absolutely no memory of who she is, or how she came to be there. She can say only one word: Lucy. Where has she come from?
The Marble Crusher (PDF)
by Michael MorpurgoThree brilliant stories that will captivate young readers by War Horse author and former Children's Laureate, Michael Morpurgo. The Marble Crusher Does Mr Manners, the headmaster, really have a machine that crushes marbles? Albert thinks so. Colly's Barn Colly the owl and Screecher the swallow band together to save the barn. Conker Nick beats the bully, Stevie Rooster, and becomes Conker king. But can he rescue a mistreated dog while searching for the best conker? Michael Morpurgo, demonstrates why he is considered to be the master storyteller in these animal tales that are wonderful for engaging early readers. aged seven years and up. Michael has written more than one hundred books for children including An Eagle in the Snow, Listen to the Moon, Private Peaceful, and An Elephant in the Garden and won the Whitbread Award, the Smarties Award, the Circle of Gold Award, the Children's Book Award and has been short-listed for the Carnegie Medal four times.
Mr Skip (PDF)
by Michael MorpurgoBelieving 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.
Outlaw
by Michael MorpurgoAfter a fierce storm, a boy discovers a human skull, buried beneath the roots of an ancient tree. A skull with a legendary story.Vivid re-imagining of the legendary hero Robin Hood by bestselling author of War Horse.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.