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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.

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. Pupils could try to write their own story-within-a-story, based on another myth or legend they know. Pinocchio by Pinocchio Are you looking for ways to engage your learners in storytelling this term? Well, we’re here to help with our range of Michael Morpurgo activities and storytelling resources, created in partnership with Harper Collins.In my first year teaching, I adopted the same approach with Kensuke’s Kingdom, my class howling when we had to stop each day at home time. A beautifully told story and one that will implant well in the mind of a young child the migratory journey that birds - not just this single robin - face as they move across this globe we call Earth. 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.

Michael Morpurgo Month takes place every February. What’s the theme for Michael Morpurgo Month 2023? 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.ukThis text can provide a great model for first-person writing. Children can invent new adventures for Pinocchio or retell another familiar story with themselves in the role of the protagonist. Times of war Friend or Foe Scandinavian robins migrate to Britain to escape the harsh winter. It is a long and exhausting journey; some of them survive, managing to find food, mild weather and a mate while others unfortunately don’t make it. Michael Morpurgo’s story describes a brave robin’s migration, an epic journey through dark woods, above high mountains, through blinding blizzard and across the raging sea. The little bird, energized by the dream of home, will keep his vigilance awake, persisting in remaining strong.

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. 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. 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. 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.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…’ 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. A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

A highly unusual picture book to satisfy the heart of anyone who enjoys making the natural world part of a Christmas celebration. 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.”Retelling the same scene from the perspectives of both Michael (the stranded boy) and Kensuke (the inhabitant of the island) can help children to explore how different characters see the same situation. Explore how this can be communicated by a skilful writer. Running Wild Each of our Michael Morpurgo activities have been designed in collaboration with our team of experienced teachers, especially for children aged 7-11 years old. They’re ideal for developing your learners’ literacy skills in a fun and engaging way. 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.