Follow-up: What do the children think Michael could do to keep his promise to the whale, to help people stop damaging the environment? Find classroom activity ideas and a 12-page PDF packed full of more lesson ideas and activities to explore alongside reading the book. A light read and one that delivers the message that we humans must make significant change to save the planets and it’s animals too.

The suggested books and classroom activities below are perfect if you want to take part in Michael Morpurgo Month. In this story, a young boy meets a whale in a most unlike place: in the river Thames, in the middle of London. Within hours, the city and the wider world have learned of London's remarkable visitor, and all eyes are on the whale's struggle against the receding tide.For generations of teachers, myself included, Michael Morpurgo’s books are an integral part of school life. And by telling the boy what he came to say was (in my opinion) right as the boy can now tell other humans and find a way to prevent this problem. What do the children think Michael could do to keep his promise to the whale, to help people stop damaging the environment?

Ideas include writing a persuasive letter from the main character’s perspective in boarding school, a survival guide for lions and a plot outline for the novel. 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.Michael listened and promised not to forget the important message and that he will pass it on to others. It’s a great book that links to The environment and how humans have damaged it: the reason we read it because we was looking at the environment and sustainability in Humanities. Vậy mà đọc 1-2 trang cuối cùng, bạn tin không, mình muốn rớt nước mắt, nhưng kiềm chế lại được, không tài nào nghĩ một cuốn truyện thiếu nhi mỏng nhưng đoạn kết lại nặng nề như vậy. The book follows a little boy from Battersea who gets up each morning to go to the bank of the Thames and bird watch, one morning he is greeted by a much larger creature.