The Butterfly Lion: Michael Morpurgo

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A British boy and a white lion cub form a bond in turn-of-the-century South Africa, and when years later, the now grown-up boy sees the lion's image on a circus poster, he vows to find his friend again. g. conscience corridor) to discuss why Bertie’s family should / shouldn’t sell the lion to the circus owner.

Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives.The book was adapted into a stage play by Daniel Buckroyd of the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, which toured the UK in 2014. It is a small book and so would be great for children who sometimes can feel intimidated by the amount of pages in a book. Morpurgo is really good at telling stories of friendships between children and animals, often while also telling of war. The protagonist of the story is a young boy who is well characterised by Morpurgo allowing the reader to get on board and feel the emotions of the character.

The inclusion of the war adds a touch of history and would interest boys if they can get past the front cover. Years later and now a soldier in France during WWI, he sees a poster for a circus with a white lion on it and he succeeds in tracking him down. Together they discover that Monsieur Merlot's circus has closed down, but that the Frenchman lives nearby with the lion. You could also consider Lilly’s perspective, when she met Bertie or when he went away to fight in the war.g. as he grows up with his dad away working and his mum teaching him on their compound, when he first sees the white lion and her cub, when he is allowed to keep the cub when he is told that he will be going to England). When Bertie turned around, he saw his mother in her night gown, rifle in hand, running towards him down the hill. After the success of War Horse my local theatre had an upcoming production of this Morpurgo classic. Michael Morpurgo arranges his words in a way that really flow, yet he doesn't avoid more (appropriately) complex vocabulary making it ideal for children of moderate ability from age 7/8 up to adults of 78 years and older! We are opposite sides of the same coin and, although his work has never influenced mine, I admire the eloquent, considered voice of his best books.

They are inseparable until Bertie is sent to boarding school far away in England and the lion is sold to a circus. It is a story told in the first person by a young boy who runs away from his school lonely and sad and meets the old lady who relates the story of her husband from long before.It just didn't explain that much like when it said the lion was going to the circus it didn't tell you what he had done there.