The Butterfly Lion

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Sitting high up in a tree, or looking out of his window, Bertie watches the beautiful elephants, giraffes and zebras come down to the water hole. But it's the lions, Bertie likes best of all. And when, one morning, he sees a baby lion cub trying to escape from some hungry hyenas, Bertie rushes out to rescue it. Some books make you laugh, don't they? And other books make you hold your breath, because you can't believe what's about to happen next. Other books make you feel sad, because, the writer has made you care for the characters so much. Well, I have to tell you, that this book has all of that. I'm never going to forget reading this book. This lovely reading comprehension also comes with a set of questions, which test how well the children have understood the text. The Butterfly Lion is not the only one of Michael Morpurgo’s books to feature a cat. Kaspar – Prince of Cats, Tom’s Sausage Lion, Mossop’s Last Chance, Adolphus Tips and The Nine Lives of Montezuma are also about cats.

Butterfly Lion is a heart warming story of loneliness and finding companionship. It follows themes which Michael Morpurgo brings to life for the reader so well, of relationships between children and animals and love and war.

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This, in and of itself, would be heartbreaking and infuriating. But knowing how much the two cared about one another just made it worse (or better, from a storyteller's point of view). Before he leaves South Africa, Bertie promises, that one day, no matter what it takes, he will find his lion again. Do you think he does? Well... Many years later, a school-boy discovers the answer, when he sees another lion, on the side of a hill in England.

While I wouldn't say this is an exciting book is covers a lot of exciting issues and keeps readers with a variety of interest hooked. The lion cub is sold to Monsieur Merlot to be the star of his circus. In music and dance, explore The Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens (can the children work out which animals are being portrayed in the different sections?). Create a dance for the majestic lion by splitting his music into sections which tell a story – his entrance, embodying the animal through static shapes; looking around; moving as the animal using different pathways; coming together into a larger group. Extend this approach so that groups work on different animals.

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Bertie and Millie first meet when a kite becomes caught in a tree. Design and build simple kites using dowelling, plastic bags (or paper) and string. This will support work on 2D/3D shape, measuring and properties of materials. For many children this may be their first experience of flying a kite and their feelings from this could be captured through diary or poetry writing.