October 5: Birthday of Michael Morpurgo (1943)
Prayer Idea
Pray for people who seek to give others new experiences and new perspectives.
History Note
Michael Morpurgo was born on October 5, 1943, in St. Alban’s, England, outside London. His father was serving in the British military during World War II. Michael and his older brother, Pieter, were evacuated to northern England because of German attacks.
Morpurgo met and married his wife, Clare, and they had three children. Michael decided to become a teacher. He enjoyed reading stories to children and eventually decided to start writing his own stories.
Michael Morpurgo has written over 100 books. These include War Horse (1982), The Butterfly Lion (1996), Kensuke's Kingdom (1999), Private Peaceful (2003), An Elephant in the Garden (2009), and The Day the World Stopped Turning (2019).
In 1976 the Morpurgo family started a charitable organization called Farms for City Children. Over the years, tens of thousands of children have had the opportunity to live and work on a farm for a week.
Michael Morpurgo was honored as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2006 and was knighted in 2018.
This BookBench inspired by Michael Morpurgo’s book War Horse was displayed in London in 2014. Photo by Ron Ellis / Shutterstock.com.
Learn More
This video provides a glimpse of Michael Morpurgo’s writing room and shows him talking about one of his books.
Find more resources at Homeschool History.
