The Kingfisher Book of Classic Boy Stories

by Michael Morpurgo

This handsome collection of carefully chosen and beautifully illustrated extracts celebrates favorite boy characters from children's literature. A new generation of readers will be delighted and inspired by the antics and adventures of timeless heroes such as Tom Sawyer, Oliver Twist, Peter Pan, and Winnie-the-Pooh.

Genres: Childrens

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Sir Michael Andrew Morpurgo, OBE, FRSL is the author of many books for children, five of which have been made into films. He also writes his own screenplays and libretti for opera. Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1943, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the last years of the Second World War, then returned to London, moving later to Essex. After a brief and unsuccessful spell in the army, he took up teaching and started to write. He left teaching after ten years in order to set up 'Farms for City Children' with his wife. They have three farms in Devon, Wales and Gloucestershire, open to inner city school children who come to stay and work with the animals. In 1999 this work was publicly recognised when he and his wife were invested a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to youth. In 2003, he was advanced to an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) in 2004. He was knighted in the 2018 for his services to literature and charity. He is also a father and grandfather, so children have always played a large part in his life. Every year he and his family spend time in the Scilly Isles, the setting for three of his books.

Reviews

[Megan]

Includes:

Winnie the Pooh
Wind in the Willows
Milly-Molly-Mandy
Ramona the Pest
Peter Pan
Heidi
Pinocchio
The Worst Witch
Little House in the Big Woods
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The Wizard of Oz
The Butterfly Lion
A Little Princess
The Iron Man
Pollyanna
Just William
Pippi Longstocking
The Sword in the Stone
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
What Katy Did
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Tom's Midnight Garden
The Jungle Book
The Call of The Wild
Seven Little Australians
My Side of the Mountain
Beowulf: Dragonslayer
Anne of Green Gables
Oliver Twist
The Great Gilly Hopkins
Treasure Island
Black Beauty
The Adventures of Tom Sawyeyr
Little Women

[Sarah Main · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some stories in here that I will definitely look into more, and some that I probably will never touch. Overall, it’s a nice way to introduce kids to classic books, but I didn’t enjoy reading them out of context.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seriously, this is the only version of the "Just William" stories I can find locally. All of these excerpts are from great books, I just wish they weren't cut so short!

[April Helms · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a nice way to introduce younger readers to some of the more classic stories, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Treasure Island, Peter Pan and more. Morpurgo selects short snippets from these and other books, along with color illustrations. These are not meant to be full stories. I don't think some of these are even a full chapter; if I have a critique, I thought some of the stories were condensed a little well. Peter Pan and the Chronicles of Narnia felt especially chopped off.

[Rebekah M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 5-year old's choice for classic study. The kids are LOVING the stories and the illustrations, but they are only glimpses and leave me wanting to get out the whole copy and finish reading it, which is kind of frustrating. The treasury includes many of my most favorites and I love sharing them with the kids.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such good stories. All from true classics.
I didn't realize Ted Hughs wrote the Iron Giant.