You can also read about his life in War Child to War Horse,a collaborative biography with Maggie Fergusson. This book fits into the 'book that teaches you about another time in history' because it is set during World War Two. In November 2016 Michael Morpurgo won the J M Barrie Award for his contribution to children’s literature.This award is given every year by Action for Children’s Arts to a “children’s arts practitioner” whose lifetime’s work has delighted children and will stand the test of time. Daniel Pender—Daniel is a handy boy, but he is also adventurous and social. But Daniel is also afraid of the dark. My favorite character was probably the girl Gracie's mother. She is not having an easy time of it, as I'm sure not many women had during both world wars, but she still manages to be very caring and stubborn in all the right ways. Really liked her. And aunt Mildred! Cool women!

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Why the Whales Came is a children's story written by Michael Morpurgo [1] and first published in 1985 by William Heinemann (UK) and Scholastic (US). [2] It is set on the island of Bryher, one of the Isles of Scilly, off the coast of Cornwall, in the year 1914. It was adapted into the 1989 film When the Whales Came. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Gracie and her friend Daniel have a fleet of toy boats they have made. When the lake where they usually sail the boats is taken over by bad-tempered swans, Daniel talks Gracie into coming with him to a cove near the Birdman's cottage. She's scared, but she finally agrees. Soon they find themselves on the most frightening adventure of their lives. Gracie's dad also goes to war and is reported missing in action. Why The Whales Came’ is a somewhat mysterious, supernatural and mystical thriller evoking so well the atmosphere and feelings of a childhood spent growing up in the Scilly Isles at the time of the First World War. A son and grandson of actors, Michael has acting in his blood and enjoys collaborating and performing live adaptations of his books at festivals, concerts and theatres.The Birdman tells them many stories, but none more scarier than the one about a curse on a nearby deserted island called Samson. For more information about the work of Farms for City Children, please visit www.farmsforcitychildren.org Peter Jenkins—The father of Gracie, he has a slightly angry personality in the story, but is also a good liar/actor at the same time. I didn't fully remember the story, just the basic outline. I'm not eight anymore, so although I could remember the parts that I had found very moving when I was small, they don't quite do it for me anymore. This probably has more to do with me being jaded than being a flaw in the book. Personally I really enjoyed this. A sad story about a man and two kids that befriend each other, even though the man... The Birdman is shunned by the sociaty on the islands they live.

Why the Whales Came written by Michael Morpurgo is a lovely Why the Whales Came written by Michael Morpurgo is a lovely

Why the Whales came is a tale with mystery, suspense, and echoes of history from World War I. The emotions it encompasses run the gamut from fear, to loss, to anger. Gracie and Daniel, the two main characters, are courageous and in many ways more mature than those around them. Their actions touch the heart. Morpurgo's stories are great for children. Here we have messages written in shells upon the sand from the The Bird Man in the summer of 1914.Pretty nice. Better than many novels if I may say. My only complaint is I didn't like how gracie was portrayed and the superstitious child while daniel was portrayed as much older for his age.

Why the Whales Came by Michael Morpurgo | Teaching Resources Why the Whales Came by Michael Morpurgo | Teaching Resources

Of the main characters I liked Gracie and the Birdman the most. Daniel, yeah... He is a nice one, but he is surpassed by the other two in my mind. Clemmie Jenkins—The mother of Gracie who possesses a calm but "weird" personality. Not so much an actor in the story, but she is really fearful.When Gracie's father goes off to the war her family become very poor so she and Daniel go fishing to try to catch some fish to sell at the market. A sudden storm rolls in and they become lost. Then they see a light that leads them to an island that they know is Samson. They were cursed.

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Another fantastic book! I just love the way Morpurgo crafts his writing so that it paints a picture so vividly in your mind as if you are there sharing the same experiences with the characters. The story itself is extremely heart warming and leaves cliffhangers after each chapter.

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First of all, Gracie doesn't want to know the Birdman, scared the rumours are true, not only about the Birdman, but about Samson too. As the story continues, Gracie and the Birdman become closer and closer, especially when Gracie'a dad is missing in action.