Michael Morpurgo books

[Themasterandmargaritas]

Are they any good and are they suitable for 7 year old dd?

No Animal Ark in my house now I am forewarned by MN. Luckily dd is so obsessed with whatever ds does I am hoping this will include appropriating all his favourite books. Although I could do without revisiting the Usborne "Where does our poo go" etc factual series!
Vintagey stuff might be better for your dd1. I am sure she is very discerning
E Nesbit? Ds howled over Five Children and It once I had instructed persuaded him to open the book?

I agree totally Fennel - I was mad on Willard Price and Jennings etc myself. I just feel that these days the children's book market is far more prescriptive in terms of branding as "boys'" or "girls'" books. Ds is the only boy in his class who has read Clarice Bean, for example . So I think you are, to some extent, having to push your children harder than we had to be, in order to get them to read widely.
Even my ds will not touch The Children from 1 End Street, because it has a shell pink cover , and he also won't read A Dog so Small because of the glitter-strewn chihuahua on the purple cover. And he is not an especially macho boy.

the children from 1 end street is so fab

I love it and the worst witch because they have 'plain' girls as heroines

willard price

read them all when at primary school

LOVED THEM

I hear they are actually considered crap though

They are crap, truth to tell
But, I do feel I learned a BIT about African geography and wildlife in amongst the appalling dated patronising racist colonial stuff.
When ds and I revisited Volcano Adventure and South Sea Adventure I had to do some extensive contextualising work

Brilliant thread - I have got some good ideas from it.

I agree re: the dreadful branded girly books - have ust been shopping for birthday books for dd (who will be 6) and was depressed by what was on offer. Ended up with a Clarice Bean picture book and Pippi Longstocking, plus a CD of naughtiest girl in the school.

I couldn't bear to buy Animal Ark.

Marina - DS is reading Clarice Bean (novel) at the moment and loving it - it really apppeals to his sense of humour. I get to read the odd chapter with him and am enjoying it just as much!

Am going to put Little House on The Praerie on the list for Xmas - I think that might be something I can read to both the kids which is great in the holidays.

as an aside, as a 9 year old child, growing up in south east london in the 1970s, my class mates and i were shipped off to mr morpurgos farm for a farming school journey. how we marvelled at the sheep and chickens. I wondered how he managed to run a busy working farm with what seemed to be very little adult help. as i mucked out the chicken coop at the crack of dawn, my single mother having paid for the priviledge.

I never could read any of his books to my DCs. i have mental scars involving moo cow AI.

"Spy Dog" etc are good; DS2, just 7, has read them all and enjoyed them. Both mine think the Mr. Gum books are hilarious - DS1 is 10 and has read them all several times, DS2 has read them all as well. They've both read "Butterfly Lion" as well; DS2 read it this summer and said it was too sad.

My main gripe with Morpurgo is that they are all very sad and DS1 doesn't really like them; he's read a few, including "War Horse" and "Adolphus Tips", but he's not very keen.

Another vote for "Atticus the Storyteller"; I think Marina recommended it before and it's been one of DS2's favourites. We're also very keen on the comic strip Greek myths etc that Marcia Wiliams has done.

Persephone Snape. My DD1 spent a week at that very farm last year. She had a great time and helped deliver a lamb!

wow! is it still going? i remember me and another girl took high heeled wellies and had to borrow far less fashionable flat ones! we did bond over that though and rebmained friends for life ;)

Persephone, I grew up in SE London in the 60s/70s too Never went to MM's improving farm, but I agree with the view that his books are generally too sad to be read en bloc
Mr Gum is an excellent antidote!

Do any of you know The Story of Holly & Ivy?

Looks as if it is out of print but library may have it. It is one of the sweetest, saddest & then smiling-through-tearsiest stories I've ever read. I couldn't read it aloud (we had to get a story tape )

It is still going alright. I think he has two farms now, there are so many schools who want to visit. DD thoroughly enjoyed the muck judging by the state of her waterproofs when she returned (I had to throw the trousers out, they were beyond cleaning).

That looks lovely Wendy. We have got other Rumer Godden books, but I don't know that one. Will have to track it down before Christmas and see if I can read it to the DDs without breaking down in tears.

DD1 read 'I Believe in Unicorns' and 'The Sleeping Sword' at 7.

She also enjoyed, between 7 and 8 (she's 8.5 now) the Ingo series, anything by Cornelia Funke as well as lots of the 'classics' mentioned here (Little House..., Five Children and It, Little Princess, Secret Garden, etc.).

DS1 (8) loves Morpurgo and has read almost all of them. He becomes completely engrossed. The only one that has made him cry was 'Toro Toro' - and godness how he cried. I have encouraged him to intersperse a Morurgo with a light hearted funny book as they are rather deep and emotional imo but he does love the so much and has re read his favourites a few times.

Bet you can't, LadyG

Agree that Animal Ark is dreadful. DD1 read a few and quickly got bored. DD2 (6) is obsessed with all things cute and fluffy and reads only Little Animal Ark (same as Animal Ark, but thankfully shorter ) and Magic Kitten/Puppy/Pony/Other Fluffy Thing. Basically, if it ain't fluffy she won't touch it. I'm hoping it's a phase and will pass...

Percy Jackson looks like the sort of thing my dd would like. [Adds to shopping list.] Agree with Marina (I make a point of always agreeing with Marina ) that books aimed at boys seem to be better than those aimed at girls. Girls' books (massively generalising, because obviously there are exceptions) seem to leap from the cutesy fluffy animals to make-up and boys and stuff that my dd is still far from caring about (she is quite unworldly, but, hey, she's 8!).