Photo © Richard Cannon
Michael Morpurgo’s Classic Fiction
Michael Morpurgo was born in St Albans in 1943 and was educated at Kings School Canterbury and Kings College London. In 1963 Michael became a teacher, teaching in schools all over the country, until 1975, when he and his wife Clare moved to Devon to set up and run the charity Farms for City Children at Nethercott House. The couple wanted to enable children from inner-cities and urban areas to have the experience of living and working on a family farm, learning where their food came from and gaining an understanding of a farmer’s life. In 1998 the couple were awarded the MBE for their work.
Michael’s first book was published in 1975 and since then he has published over 130 books including War Horse, Private Peaceful and The Butterfly Lion. Animals and children are often at the heart of his stories. Michael was Children’s Laureate from 2003 – 2005. He is a passionate campaigner for children’s literature, the rights of children and for peace. In 2006 he was awarded the OBE for services to children’s literature. Here he recommends classic stories with enduring appeal for generations of children.