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Scandinavian robins migrate to Britain to escape the harsh winter. It is a long and exhausting journey; some of them survive, managing to find food, mild weather and a mate while others unfortunately don’t make it. Michael Morpurgo’s story describes a brave robin’s migration, an epic journey through dark woods, above high mountains, through blinding blizzard and across the raging sea. The little bird, energized by the dream of home, will keep his vigilance awake, persisting in remaining strong. Instead he is washed up somewhere marvellous and strange. It’s the island of Lilliput, whose tiny inhabitants welcomed Gulliver so long ago. These KS1 activity ideas for The Butterfly Lion ask children to imagine what life would be like with a lion for a best friend.

Michael Morpurgo Month takes place every February. What’s the theme for Michael Morpurgo Month 2023? At the end of the story there is a list of facts about Scandinavian robins, this list is brilliant! I never even knew there were Scandinavian robins, let alone their migrating habits and that they are almost identical to our own English robins. Inspire KS2 pupils to write their own story using a classic tale to raise awareness of an issue that matters to them, with advice from Sir Michael Morpurgo himself. 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. Explore how this can be communicated by a skilful writer. Running WildPupils could then be challenged to use the word in their own writing. Tales retold Arthur, High King of Britain

Let there be half an hour of storytime at the end of the day in primary schools up and down the country. Make this the half hour they all long for, that they don’t want to be over. Let the children go home dreaming of the story, reliving it, wondering.” Use Morpurgo’s tale of a boy who spies a bottlenose whale in the Thames as the centrepiece of your next Key Stage 2 storybook curriculum. Where My Wellies Take Me, by Michael and Clare Morpurgo, uses 40 evocative poems to celebrate the wonder of childhood, germinating a love of verse that will stay with pupils for many years to come. Michael Morpurgo OBE is the former Children's Laureate and best-selling author of over 130 books for children, including Private Peaceful, Kensuke's Kingdom, The Butterfly Lion, and War Horse, which first performed at the National Theatre in 2007. Michael, and his wife, Clare, started the charity Farms for City Children, which runs three farms around the country, each offering children and teachers from urban primary schools the chance to live and work in the countryside for a week. www.michaelmorpurgo.com.; Kerry Hyndman is an illustrator and mapmaker. She has a Fine Art degree from Newcastle and a Master's in Illustration from Kingston. In the studio, she works on a range of projects across editorial, advertising and publishing. She has recently illustrated David Long's Survivors (Faber, 2016). Out of the studio she enjoys snowboarding, climbing and cycling. She is also a lecturer in Illustration at Goldsmiths University. www.kerryhyndman.co.ukIn this tale of the unlikely friendship between Will and Oona the elephant, Michael Morpurgo captures the setting of the Indonesian rainforest to perfection. This BBC radio play of the story is free to listen to, which makes this a valuable text for comparing play scripts and prose, and how the same story can be told in different ways. The suggested books and classroom activities below are perfect if you want to take part in Michael Morpurgo Month. Or use them to enjoy the richness of his stories at any time of the year. The natural world Kensuke’s Kingdom A robin travels alone for many miles to reach his mate by Christmas. In beautifully poetic language, Morpurgo portrays the urgency of the bird’s longing to return home…A highly unusual picture book to satisfy the heart of anyone who enjoys making the natural world part of a Christmas celebration.