Children's Books by Michael Morpurgo

Books by Michael Morpurgo are some of the most frequently read children's books in school libraries. Try finding a copy of Kensuke's Kingdom, War Horse or The Butterfly Lion and you are likely to be disappointed. These books are usually perpetually checked-out with a long waiting list of eager readers trying to get hold of them when they are returned. I have yet to come across a child who has not enjoyed atleast one title written by Michael Morpurgo. Most have enjoyed all of the Michael Morpurgo books they have read.

It is difficult to determine exactly waht it is about his writing that inspires children so much. Perhaps its the fact that his books seem so real. Often written in the first person, upon finishing the last page of his books, children are often left wondering if the events are true, or if the characters are based on real people. Perhaps its because the writing stikes the perfect balance between moving the action forward and conjuring telling images in the mind of the reader. Perhaps its because the storylines are so compelling. Or perhaps its just a mixture of all of the above. I know I enjoy reading Michael Morpurgo novels aloud, and I don't say that about many children's books. The tone of his books seems to be right. His stories, even the ones written recently, sound like classsic children's books, but without feeling out of date and old fashioned. When you read a children's book by Michael Morpurgo you know you are reading something worthwhile. His books are authentic and seem to have soul.

Some of the best know of Michael Morpurgo's books are: Kensuke's Kingdom, The Butterfly Lion, Adolphus Tips, War Horse, Farm Boy and The Wreck of the Zanzibar, but Morpurgo has written far more titles besides these. Any of these titles would be well worth a read.

Michael Morpurgo Books

There are numerous Michael Morpurgo books that are loved by children all over the world. His stories seem to stay with children and they are able to recall them in detail months and even years after they have finished them. Here follows a list of some of the books by Michael Morpurgo that I have seen children enjoy the most:
  • The Butterfly Lion
  • Cool!
  • Friend of Foe
  • Private Peaceful
  • Tom's Sausage Lion
  • The Sandman and the Turtles
  • Torro Torro
  • The Wreck of the Zanzibar
  • War Horse
  • Kensuke's Kingdom
  • Farm Boy
  • Adolphus Tips

My personal favourite Michael Morpurgo book is Kensuke's Kingdom. I enjoyed it because I really cared about the charcters. I loved the little details that made the story come to life - the scene with the turtles and how Kensuke's past is revealed. Without giving anything away, the book ends perfectly. It is completely satisfying and is the only way that the charcaters can act. It is a sad story, but also a story full of hope, friendship and spirit. I have read this book to lots of children and all of them have loved the book as much as I do. Lots of adults I know have also read this Michael Morpurgo novel, and they too have enjoyed it.

What's your favourite Michael Morpurgo story? Do you really like one from the list above, or would you recommend another Michael Morpurgo title? Do you prefer the work of a different writer of children's books? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

AKA Road Dahl, Roland Dahl and Roald Dhal

Although lots of children claim that Roald Dahl is their favourite author of children's books, they often don't know how to spell his name. This fact was really brought home to be a few weeks ago when I was doing some research on authors with a class of 9 year olds. When it came to type the words 'Roald Dahl' into the box in the search engine, I was really surprised at some of the names the children used. One child put in Road Dahl, another added Roland Dahl and another, Roald Dhal.

All three children had read several of Roald Dahl's children's books and they said they really enjoyed them.

Roald Dahl Children's Books

It always surprises me just how many classic children's books Roald Dahl was able to produce during his writing life. None of his books follow the same pattern or formula, yet so many of his novels remain popular to this day. I think the key to the success of all of the best Roald Dahl children's books is that they don't talk down to children. Instead, the child character is usually very capable and often undertakes an adventure that changes the lives of adults.

Roald Dahl is often criticised (by adults) of being crass, but I have only come across a few children who have failed to enjoy at least one Roald Dahl novel. Rather than finding his humour and take on the world to be out of kilter with their way of thinking, children seem to embrace Roald Dahl's irreverance, recognising a kindred spirit - a child in an adult's body.

From conversations I've had with children ranging from age 7 to age 11, these seem to be some of the most popular Roald Dahl books: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Twits, George's Marvellous Medicine, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda. Lots of Roald Dahl's other stories are also mentioned, but these were the titles that cropped up again and again.

Many children also talked about enjoying the movie versions of some of the Roald Dahl stories. The Tim Burton version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Witches were particular favourites.

Some of those I spoke to also mentioned receiving books by Roald Dahl as gifts for either a birthday or Christmas. A really good way of giving such a present is to purchase a Roald Dahl collection or a Roald Dahl treasury. But I'm sure that even single volumes of Roald Dahl's books for children would go down a treat.

Roald Dahl Collection

A Roald Dahl collection – a box containing all of his most well-loved children’s books – would make a fantastic Christmas present or birthday gift. Last Christmas I purchased a Roald Dahl collection for one of my nephews. He absolutely loved it. Nearly a year has passed and he is still getting great pleasure from the gift. Not only does he enjoy reading these Roald Dahl books on his own, but he also looks forward to hearing these stories read to him at bedtimes. Of all the Roald Dahl books in the collection, his favourite novel was James and the Giant Peach, but he also really liked George’s Marvellous Medicine, Fantastic Mr Fox and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I haven’t come across a child who hasn’t enjoyed at least one Roald Dahl story. Lots of adults can’t see the appeal, but they’re not meant to! Roald Dahl wrote the books for children, and it is children who adore his stories. The great thing about Roald Dahl books is that you can read them more than once. The stories are not ruined by knowing the endings.

There are several Roald Dahl collections on the market. Most contain about ten books. These are usually Roald Dahl’s most well-known stories. In addition to these novels mentioned above, the collections often contain: Danny the Champion of the World, The Twits, Esio Trot, The Witches, Matilda and The BFG.

Of course, you could always assemble your own Roald Dahl collection by purchasing your favourite Roald Dahl children’s books and presenting them in a box of your choice. However, this may work out more expensive than buying a ready made Roald Dahl collection.

So, if you can think what to buy for a child this Christmas, you could do a lot worse than getting them a Roald Dahl collection or a Roald Dahl treasury.

Facts About Roald Dahl Books

At Kids Book Zone we have produced several posts full of information about Roald Dahl, giving facts about his life and writing habits, but we have not yet focused on his books and his marvellous charcaters. Where, for instance, did the idea for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory come from? What inspired Roald Dahl to write about James and the Giant Peach? Where did Roald Dahl get his names from? All these questions (and lots more) will hopefully be answered below.
  • Roald Dahl had started a third Charlie Bucket book, Charlie and the White House. Unfortunately he diead before finishing it. He was also planning to write a book about a girl who could communictae with her dog.
  • It took Roald Dahl about one year to write each of his children's books.
  • Roald Dahl used to test out his story ideas on his own children as bedtime stories.
  • When Roald Dahl's nephew Nicholas first read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory he thought it was boring. After hearing this, Roald Dahl made some changes to his story!
  • You never get to find out the names of the main characters in The Witches or The Magic Finger.
  • When he was younger, Roald Dahl loved reading comics.
  • Roald Dahl followed a rigid daily timetable. He would always eat breafast in bed and open his post. After that he would work at his books in his writing hut from 10:30 - 12:00, and again from 16:00 to 18:00.
  • Roald Dahl never cleaned his writing hut. It became full of dust and spiderwebs.
  • Esio Trot spells tortoise backwards.
  • Roald Dahl was good friends with the creator of James Bond, Ian Fleming.
  • Rolad Dahl made up 283 new words. Some of them appeared in The BFG, but not all of them made it.
  • Roald Dahl's first children's book was called The Gremlins.
  • Roald Dahl had an ideas book. He used to jot down all of his interesting thoughts in this book.
  • Ernest Hemingway and Roald Dahl were good friends.
  • James and the Giant Peach was nearly named James and the Giant Cherry. It was decided that a peach would be more juicy.
  • The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl was first called The Almost Ducks.
  • He used to plan the opening sentences to his book very carefully, often rewriting them over and over again until he was happy with them.
  • Roald Dahl kept a diary in a lunchbox that was always locked and hidden.
  • Roald Dahl often based his charcaters on people he had met, but he never revealed their identity.
  • Roald Dahl thought that writing for really young children was hard.
  • Roald Dahl used a homemade writing board. He rested it on his lap in his writing hut, and wrote most of his most well-known books upon it.

More Roald Dahl Facts

Here are some more interesting facts about Roald Dahl, the amazing author of many fantastic children's books. This information about Roald Dahl has been taken from numerous sources and I hope you will find it both interesting and helpful. Roald Dahl is often studied in schools as the subject of an author project or biography. Here is all of the Roald Dahl information you are ever going to need!

These Roald Dahl facts are in no particular order. They contain information about his books, his background, his approach to writing and his interests.

  • Roald Dahl wrote his books in garden shed with his feet resting on a suitcase, a blanket draped over his legs and a board on his lap which he used to lean on when writing.
  • On his desk Roald Dahl kept many objects, including: a sliver ball (made from chocolate wrappers), a carved grasshopper and a model of a fighter plane.
  • Rolad Dahl's father was called Harald Dahl and he used to enjoy walks in the country.
  • Roald Dahl's father was Norwegian, but worked in Wales as a shipbroker.
  • Roald Dahl was born on 13th September, 1916 in Llandaff, Cardiff.
  • As a boy, Roald Dahl loved to collect bird's eggs.
  • Roald Dahl went to boarding school when he was 9 years old.
  • Roald Dahl was really tall and he was excellent at sports.
  • He was not very good at English!
  • Cadbury's used to send chocolate bars to be tested by the pupils at Roald Dahl's school.
  • Roald Dahl accepted a job with the Shell Oil Company, and in 1938 he was sent to the east coast of Africa.
  • Rolad Dahl joined the Royal Airforce in 1939. He trained to be a pilot and gained the nickname Lofty.
  • He crashed his plane over Egypt in 1940 and nearly died.
  • In 1941 Roald Dahl was sent to Washing DC in the United States as a diplomat.
  • Rolad Dahl was recruited as a spy.
  • In 1943 Roald Dahl wrote his first children's story, The Gremlins. Somehow Walt Disney got hold of the tale and Dahl was sent to Hollywood. Disney published the story, but no movie of it was made.
  • At the end of the war Dahl returned to England. He made a living by buying antiques and paintings for clients in USA.
  • In the 1940s, Roald Dahl wrote horror stories.
  • Roald Dahl married the famous Hollywood actress, Patricia Neal. They rented an appartment in New York.
  • Theo Dahl (Roald Dahl's son) was injured in 1960 aged just four months. His pram was hit by a taxi. He made a full recovery.
  • Roald Dahl used to take a long time to finish writing his books.
  • Dahl's daughter Olivia died at age seven after catching measles.
  • Sophie Dahl, Rolad Dahl's granddaughter is a famous model and author.
  • Rolad Dahl died on 23rd November 1990, aged seventy four. He always considered November to be an unlucky month for him.
  • Roald Dahl formed a brillinat partnership with the illustrator Quentin Blake. Blake drew the pictures for several classic Dahl children's books: The Enormous Corocodile, The Twits, George's Marvellous Medicine and the BFG.
  • Roald Dahl wrote his books in pencil - he sharpened six before he started his writing day.
  • He used to write on a yellow pad of paper.
  • Roald Dahl was over 2 metres tall.
  • Roald Dahl his is diaries so well that they've never been found.
  • One of Rolad Dahl's favourite sweets were wine gums.
  • Roald Dahl has his own snooker table. He loved to play sports.
  • His house was called Gipsy House.
  • Roald Dahl strated to write a third story about Charlie Bucket, but he only managed to write the beginning.
  • Roald Dahl hated cats, but he loved almost all other animals.
  • Roald Dahl loved the smell of bacon frying in a pan.
  • He hated beards and never grew one.
  • It took Roald Dahl about a year to write each of his books for children. He didn't like to rush.

Interesting Jacqueline Wilson Facts

Here are some facts about Jacqueline Wilson, the very talented and popular author of some of the best children's books published in the last twenty years. Along with Roald Dahl, Jacqueline Wilson is probably the most borrowed author in school libraries all over the world.


  • Jacqueline Wilson always wanted to be a writer. As a child she loved to read and always made up imaginary worlds and games.

  • One Jacqueline's favourite teachers was Mr Townsend - a gentle, kind, funny and artistic man. He helped his pupils to write their own stories.

  • Jacqueline Wilson was Christmas card monitor in her school.

  • Sometimes here childhood was happy, and sometimes it wasn't.

  • She loved lots of books when she was a child, including: Black Beauty, What Katy Did, The Flower Fairies and Nancy and Plum.

  • When she was seven she used to spend all her pocket money on notebooks and filled them with her writing.

  • When she left school, Jacqueline Wilson worked on teen magazines such as Jackie, Red Letter and Annabel.

  • Jacqueline Wilson married Millar, her husband, when she was 19.

  • She worked part-time in a bookshop.

  • Her first book for children was called Nobody's Perfect.

  • When she started to write books for Transworld publishers, she teamed up with the illustrator, Nick Sharratt.

  • When Jacqueline Wilson is writing her books, she swims every morning , then has breakfast and then she reads the letters from her fans and readers.

  • Jacqueline Wilson tries to respond in person to every letter she receives.

  • She usually writes upstairs at her desk, but sometimes she writes her children's books at the kitchen table and sometimes in an armchair.

  • She says that children interest her more than adults, and that's why she writes for children.

  • Jacqueline Wilson has one daughter, Emma.

  • She is a big fan of the rock group Queen.

  • Of all of her books, she says she likes Double Act the best.

  • Jacqueline wilson has written lots and lots of books. Here are just some of them: The Story of Tracy Beaker, Video Rose, The Suitcase Kid, Cliffhanger, The Bed and Breakfast Star, Double Act, Twin Trouble, Mr Cool, Bad Girls, Girls in Love, Buried Alive, The Illustrated Mum, Girls Out Late and The Dare Game.

  • She loves writing because she can lose herself in an imaginary world.

I hope you find these Jacqueline Wilson facts interesting, and helpful if you are using them as part of an author project or to help you with your homework. Watch out for more facts about Jacqueline Wilson in the next few weeks.

10 Roald Dahl Facts

Here are 10 facts about Roald Dahl, the great author of the some of the most well-loved children's books of all time.


  • Roald Dahl's birthplace was Llandaff in Wales. He was born on September 13, 1916.
  • Roald Dahl could speak three languages - English, Norwegian and Swahili.
  • He was really tall. His height was 6 foot 5 inches and he was really good at sport. At school he played football and rugby. I bet he would have been good at basketball too!
  • Roald Dahl was a fighter pilot and he fought in World War Two.
  • His favourite colour in the whole world was yellow.
  • Roald Dahl went to several boarding schools. He was often homesick and, as a result, he didn't really enjoy school.
  • Sophie was the name of Roald Dahl's mother.
  • Roald Dahl had bluey grey eyes. When he was younger, he had brown hair, but it went grey as he got older.
  • Roald Dahl died in 1990.
  • Roald Dahl was the author of lots of fantastic children's books. Here are some of his most popular stories: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, Esio Trot, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox, Danny the Champion of the World, George's Marvellous Medicine, The Enormous Crocodile and The Witches (to name just a few).

Roald Dahl books remain popular among children and adults alike. Schools often hold Roald Dahl days and children are often asked to find Roald Dahl facts as part of an author study or as homework. I hope these facts about Roald Dahl are helpful.

Book Character Costumes

Lots of schools and children's book clubs host events that require the pupils of book club members to attend wearing a book character costume. Although this is a really good idea that gets children excited about characters from their favourite children's books, and talking about children's books, it puts a lot of pressure on the parents of those children, as it is often their responsibility to devise, purchase or make the book character costume for the fancy dress or costume party.

In an attempt to provide you with some children's book character fancy dress costume ideas, here are my thoughts about some fancy dress outfits that would work well.

Starting with picture books and books for younger children, there are many fancy dress ideas that come to mind immediately. I have seeen lots of very successful Mr Men costumes. The Mr Man books all feature colourful characters and form really striking outfits. In particular, Mr Happy costumes and Mr Bump costumes work well, but any Mr Men fancy dress costume would look fantastic. Mr Men costumes can be purchased online or hired from your local fancy dress store. They would probabaly be quite difficult to construct at home because they are a suit and can't really be constructed by combining fancy dress accessories.

The other picture book that springs to mind is Where the Wild Things Are. This book by Maurice Sendak could inspire several book character costumes. The main character, Max, wears a white rabbit suit and would be a great fancy dress costume. However, it is the Wild Things that would be the most impressive children's book characters to recreate in fancy dress. It is possible to find Where the Wild Things Are costumes on the net, and as with the Mr Men costumes, Wild Things costumes are probably best purchased or hired rather than made.

Other book character costumes ideas (from picture books or from books for younger readers include): Percy the Park Keeper costume (from the Nick Butterworth books), Meg and Mog costumes (from the books by Jan Pienkowski), Dr Seuss inspired outfits (such as Cat in the Hat costumes, Grinch costumes) and outfits based on Beatrix Potter characters (such as a Peter Rabbit costume).

Another good source of ideas for costumes for younger children is to use characters from fairy tales. Snow White costumes, Goldilocks costumes, Little Red Riding Hood costumes, Three Little Pigs costumes and Cinderella costumes would all make fantastic children's fancy dress costumes. Most of these fancy dress outfits could be purchased, but with a little bit of creativity, all of the fairy tale fancy dress costumes could be made at home.

For slightly older children, the range of book character fancy dress costumes increases, and each book you can think of usually includes several characters that would be a good subject for a book day costume. Several books stand out. Due to their massive popularity, the Harry Potter books are great sources of ideas for fancy dress costumes because everyone is familiar with the characters (either through the books or the movies). If you wear a Harry Potter costume, you will not have to tell anyone who you are meant to be. Beyond Harry himself, also consider Hagrid costumes, Dumbledore costumes, Ron Weasley costumes, Hermione costumes, Severus Snape costumes, Draco Malfoy costumes...you get the idea!

Roald Dahl has invented some fantastic characters, and they often make a great subject upon which to base a book character fancy dress costume. Willy Wonka costumes, Charlie Bucket costumes, Fantastic Mr Fox costumes and the BFG costumes would all work well, as would a Twits costume or a James and the Giant Peach costume.

Any of the Wind in the Willows characters make great book character costumes. I've seen a very effective, but simple Mr Toad costume, and the Ratty, Mole and Badger outfits could also be simplified to make it possible to make, rather than buy , these outfits.

For older children. book characters costumes take a bit more thought. Fancy dress costumes based on characters from the books of Tolkien often work well. I've seen very impressive Gandalf costumes, Legolas costumes, Gimli costumes, Thorin costumes, Aragorn costumes and Galadriel costumes. These costumes are quite easy to put together at home.

How about going with a character from the Twilight books by Stephenie Meyer. An Edward Cullen costume would be quite easy to put together and it would certainly be of the moment.

As you can see, there are lots of ideas for book character costumes for kids. These are only a few suggestions. If you think about it in advance of the fancy dress party or book day, you will be able to find a fancy dress costume that suits your available budget, or the time you have to make a book character costume.

Children's Book Character Costumes

Lots of schools hold events to promote literacy and reading where the children must arrive dressed in the costume of their favourite children's book character. Over the years I have seen hundreds of children's book character costumes. Here are some of the most successful ideas.

The most popular choice seems to be to dress as a character from books by Roald Dahl. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl offers lots of scope for finding a great book character costumes, as does Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Willy Wonka), The Twits and The BFG.

In recent years, lots of children have turned up in Harry Potter costumes, but it is the other Harry Potter characters that end up inspiring the best fancy dress costumes. I've loved the Hagrid costumes and the Severus Snape costumes that children have worn to 'dress as your favourite children's book character' days.

Other great children's book character costumes have included: Mildred from the Worst Witch stories, Alex Rider from the children's books by Anthony Horowitz, Kensuke from the Michael Morpurgo book Kensuke's Kingdom, Horrid Henry from the children's books by Francesca Simon, and lots of different children's book characters from books by Enid Blyton and Beatrix Potter.

It is usually the children who dress as an obscure character that get the most out of the children's book character costume days. Not only are they dressing up as a character from a children's book that they love, but they are getting the chance to tell others about the book when they are responding to questions about their fancy dress costume. I'm really looking forward to seeing the children's book character costumes at future events.

Children's Books by Michael Morpurgo

Michael Morpurgo books are incredibly popular in schools. I was recently talking to a school librarian, who claimed that children's books by Michael Morpurgo were among the most read books in the entire school. Children of ages 8 - 11 seem to particularly enjoy books by Michael Morpurgo.

Of all of the books written by Michael Morpurgo, Kensuke's Kingdom stands out as a fantastic piece of writing. I believe that this Michael Morpurgo book will stand the test of time and will go on to become one of the classic children's books. The story is about a boy called Michael. It is written in the first person (like most books by Michael Morpurgo), and it details Michael's time spent marooned on a desert island. The key feature of this Michael Morpurgo book is the relationship between Michael and the island's only other resident, Kensuke. I have not met a single person who has not enjoyed this Michael Morpurgo book. It is really well written and it is genuinely moving.

In addition to being an enjoyable children's book to read, Kensuke's Kingdom is a great book to use as the basis for further work in the classroom. I have seen children complete the following Michael Morpurgo and Kensuke's Kingdom-related tasks:
  • Write a letter to Michael Morpurgo
  • Prodce a profile or factfile about Michael Morpurgo
  • Research other books written by Michael Morpurgo
  • Write a message in a bottle from Michael to his parents
  • Produce a page from Michael's journal
  • Devise a new cover for a Michael Morpurgo book
  • Browse the library for other children's books by Michael Morpurgo
  • Draw a labelled diagram of the setting of Kensuke's Kingdom
  • Re-write a scene from the book from Kensuke's perspective

These are just a few ideas: the list could go on and on.

Apart from Kensuke's Kingdom, there are lots of other books by Michael Morpurgo that are worth reading (such as War Horse and The Butterfly Lion), but I'll leave the discussion about these Michael Morpurgo books for another post.

Facts about Michael Morpurgo

Here are some facts about the children's author, Michael Morpurgo. He has produced some of the best children's books over the last ten years, and he is exceptionally talented.

Michael Morpurgo facts (in no particular order)

1. In 1943 Michael Morpurgo was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire.
2. He was evacuated to Cumberland during World War II.
3. From Cumberland, Michael Morpurgo moved to London and then to Essex.
4. He went to schools in Canterbury, London and Sussex.
5. Michael Morpurgo was once described as being "rather stupid, but great at rugby".
6. At Sandhurst, he trained for the British Army - he went home after getting injured.
7. Michael Morpurgo once worked as a school caretaker.
8. At university he studied English and French.
9. Michael Morpurgo was once a primary school teacher.
10. As a teacher he loved telling stories.
11. Michael Morpurgo admires the poets Sean Rafferty and Ted Hughes, and the writer Ernest Hemingway.
12. In his children's books, Michael Morpurgo often includes characters who love nature.
13. Michael is married to Clare.
14. The Morpurgos set up the charity Farms for City children in 1976.
15. From 2003 to 2005, Michael Morpurgo was Children's Laureate.
16. Michael Morpurgo has worked with the illustrators Quentin Blake and Michael Foreman.
17. Michael Morpurgo's children's book War Horse has been made into a play (and a radio broadcast).
18. At school Michael Morpurgo loved rugby, geography and cricket.
19. He has three children and lives in Devon.
20. He is one of the most well known authors of children's books.
21. He has published more than 90 children's books.
22. Michael has one lots of awards for writing children's books (Children's Book of the Year)
23. He writes from 9:30 to 12:30 - in bed.

I hope you have enjoyed these facts about Michael Morpurgo.