Loved by children, teachers and parents alike, Michael Morpurgo, the former Children's Laureate, has written more than forty books and won the Whitbread Award, the Smarties Award, the Circle of Gold Award, the Children's Book Award and has been short-listed for the Carnegie Medal four times. Added Hendry: “Something that we have been focusing on in the last few years is the creative blend of mixed media. We like to see how the things we love can inhabit the same space — the charm of 2D hand drawn characters, the depth of photoreal worlds, the character of miniature environments, matte paintings and the random nature of filmed effects footage.” Michael’s father has a dream to sail around the world. Do you have a dream? What steps do you need to take to achieve it? Michael got the name for the main character’s dog, Stellas Artois, from a boy who came to stay on his farm in Devon. The boy’s dog, an Alsatian, was called Stellas Artois. Kensuke’s Kingdom is a thrilling adventure story from exceptional children’s writer Michael Morpurgo.

Read the first sentence of the story: ‘I disappeared on the night before my twelfth birthday’. Why has the author used this as the first sentence? Could you use it as the start of your own story? Kensuke's Kingdom is a gripping adventure of survival and true friendship from the author of War Horse. Turn the story (or part of it) into a playscript and perform it. Watch this video of a stage version for inspiration:Before reading the story, look at the chapter titles. Can you predict what might happen as the story progresses? Kensuke's Kingdom is a children's novel by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman. It was first published in 1999 [1] by Egmont UK. Since then, it has been released by various other publishers, such as Scholastic. [2] Book summary [ edit ] In August 2018, WildChild Productions took a theatrical adaptation of Kensuke's Kingdom by Stuart Paterson to Edinburgh Festival Fringe. [3] It featured a voiceover by Jenny Agutter.

Create a plan view of Kensuke’s cave house, using information from the book to include the correct features.

Menu

After some time, Michael and Kensuke start to form a bond but Michael knows he can’t stay on the island forever. After Kensuke realises how much Michael misses his family, he agrees to help him light a fire when they see the next ship. By miracle, the next ship is Michael’s parents who have been looking for him ever since he fell off the boat. Look at the map of the world, as shown in the book. Can you identify the places Michael travelled to? Can you find out more information about each place? Could you calculate the distance that he travelled? Listen to the audiobook version of the story. Could you record your own audio version or the story (or part of it)? Imagine that Michael’s log book had floated ashore on the island. Can you write some more entries in it to describe his time there?

Imagine that you have just woken up alone on an island. Write a story that explains what happens next. Michael spots a lot of amazing creatures on his adventure. Can you find out more about one (or more) of them?

Looking for something different

The book follows Michael, his parents and their dog on the trip of a lifetime around the world. They leave their jobs and set sail but Michael and his dog fall overboard and they wake up on a desert island.

Washed up on an island in the Pacific, Michael struggles to survive on his own. With no food and no water, he curls up and closes his eyes ready for the end. When he wakes, there is a plate beside him of fish, of fruit, and a bowl of fresh water. He is not alone … The front cover of the early edition has an illustration inspired by the work of Japanese painter Hokusai Katsushika. The painter is mentioned in the story, too. UK-based Lupus Films began production on an animated version of Kensuke's Kingdom in 2020. Voice actors for the animated version include Sally Hawkins, Cillian Murphy, and Ken Watanabe.

Curriculum

Imagine that you could interview Michael, Kensuke and / or his parents. What would you ask them? How might they respond at different points in the story? Kensuke's Kingdom Differentiated Reading Comprehension Activity - This reading comprehension activity is a great way to assess your pupils' understanding of the novel as you go. Differentiated so you can tailor the resource to your pupils' abilities, it features questions for the opening, chapter 5 and chapter 10. Michael and Kensuke make a range of objects using materials from the island. Could you make your own clothes / equipment / tools using natural materials found on the ground? As a child Michael Morpurgo enjoyed reading Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, and although this book is very different to Kensuke’s Kingdom, they do share some common ground. In the epilogue, Michael publishes his story after ten years, as Kensuke asked him to do, and receives a letter from Michiya, Kensuke's son, who reveals that he and his mother did indeed avoid the Nagasaki bombing, for they went to visit their grandparents during the bombing. Michael and Michiya meet, and Michael notes that Michiya laughs just like his father did.