Michael Morpurgo

Well known and prolific British children's author. Was recently made Children's Laureate.

Born in St. Albans in 1943. Studied English and French at University and became a primary school teacher, It was then, when making up stories to read to his classes, he discovered his love of storytelling. His most famous book is a horse story! War Horse, has sold a huge amount of copies and also been adapted as a film, for the stage and for radio.
Despite the book eventually making him very famous and becoming a household name, it actually did not sell very well on first publication!

Michael has written many books of a wide range of types from historical stories to fantasies to animal stories. His horse related stories are not traditional pony books and in some the horse plays a more peripheral role. Also in most of them the horse is a working animal rather than a pet.

He is involved with a lot of charities, including Farms for City Children, which he set up himself to enable city-living kids to experience animals and farm life. He owns three farms and the farming life, including working horses, comes through in some of his books. He now lives in Devon and divides his time between writing and farming.

More on the author and his books at his website.

Joey Series:
The second book is only fairly loosely related to the first but does briefly pick up the story of Joey after he returned from the war. Both can be read as stand-alone stories.

1) WAR HORSE
(KAYE & WARD 1982)
First edition had pictorial boards - no dustwrapper issued
No illustrator is credited although cover art on 1st edition looks to be by Victor Ambrus
Reprinted many times in the UK in hardback and paperback - too numerous to mention!
USA first edition was published in 1982 by Greenwillow
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition, one of many paperback editions
SUMMARY: Pony point of view story set in the First World War. Joey is a farm horse who has a close bond with his young owner Albert, but when war breaks out both Joey and Albert are recruited. Will they survive the horrible war and be re-united once more?
Written to highlight the fate of animals as well as humans in war, this is a sometimes painful and heart-rending read, although in the end is an affirmation of the triumph of human (and animal) spirit over adversity.
The book has been adapted into a blockbuster film, smash hit Broadway play and a radio drama with Timothy Spall as the voice of Joey.
PONYMAD RATING: 5 HORSESHOES
Lots more on the book here

2) FARM BOY
(PAVILION 1997)
ILLUSTRATED BY MICHAEL FOREMAN
Reprinted in paperback a couple of times by Harper Collins
Published in America by Scholastic
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition, earlier and newer paperback editions
SUMMARY: Something of a sequel to War Horse, though mainly set many years later and has far less horse content than War Horse does. A young boy listens to tales of his grandfather's life as a child on his parent's farm. Amongst his reminiscences Grandpa tells of Joey the work horse. He also reveals a secret to his grandson which he has tried to keep hidden. It is aimed at a younger audience than War Horse but can be enjoyed by all ages
Soon to be made into a film
PONYMAD RATING: 4 HORSESHOES
Read Review

Collectors info:
Very easy to find  -  both still in print and available in the UK, USA and elsewhere. Also as e-books. Second hand copies are also easy to find and cheap. However first editions of War Horse are now extremely pricey. First editions of Farm Boy are quite rare but still relatively cheap compared to War Horse.

Other Horse & Pony Books:

THE WHITE HORSE OF ZENNOR AND OTHER STORIES
(KAYE & WARD 1982)
Reprinted in paperback a number of times by Mammoth/Egmont
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition, Egmont paperback edition
SUMMARY: Book of short stories all set in Cornwall and involving the mystical goings-on and legends surrounding a small Cornish village. One of the stories is about a magical horse which appears once a year.

JO-JO THE MELON DONKEY
(MAIN BOOKS 1987)
ILLUSTRATED BY CHRIS MOLAN
Reprinted in paperback a number of times by Mammoth/Egmont
Paperback editions have a different illustrator in Tony Kerins
Published in the USA in hardback by Prentice Hall in 1987
EDITIONS PICTURED: Mammoth paperback, USA hardback edition
SUMMARY: Younger reader's donkey story set in Italy. Melons for sale! Every day, Jo-Jo brays the same message and carries the heavy melons through the streets of Venice. Bullied by his master and plagued by flies, Jo-Jo is loved by nobody. But one day, somebody notices Jo-Jo. The famous Doge s daughter herself! And when danger looms, the Venetians need a hero to save them. Can Jo-Jo save the city?

I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS
(WALKER 2005)
Reprinted in paperback by Walker
EDITION PICTURED: 1st edition
SUMMARY: Not really a horse story but have included it for those who like the mythical equine creature! Historical story set in war torn Europe. A young boy hates books and reading until he is told magical tales about unicorns. He soon begins to believe that unicorns and magic can be real and his life changes forever.

NOT BAD FOR A BAD LAD
(TEMPLAR 2010)
Reprinted in paperback by Templar in 2010 and 2012
EDITION PICTURED: 1st edition
SUMMARY: When a young boy gets a reputation for being naughty at school, he reacts by being the bad lad that everyone expects. Leaving school at fourteen, he becomes a thief and eventually ends up in Hollesley Prison. But Mr Alfie, the stable manager, decides to give the boy a chance, letting him look after the horses.  Will working with the horses save him from a life of crime and help him find a respectable career?
Read Review

Collectors info:
Easy to find in both UK and USA. All still in print. The first editions of the earlier books are however becoming quite rare and collectable - the first edition of Zennor can be fairly expensive.

Books About the Author:

DEAR MR. MORPINGO
By Geoff Fox
(WIZARD BOOKS 2004)
SUMMARY: Comprehensive biography of the author including the influences on his writing. Also includes detailed examinations of the books themselves as well as a previously unpublished short story.

WAR CHILD TO WAR HORSE
By Maggie Fergusson & Michael Morpurgo
(FOURTH ESTATE 2012)
Revised  'children's' edition reprinted in paperback by Harper Collins in 2013 which includes new material not in original printing
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition, revised paperback edition
SUMMARY: Biography by highly respected author written in conjunction with the author. Also includes 7 short stories by Michael Morpurgo.

Collectors info:
War Child to War Horse is easy to find and still in print, available in hardcover, paperback and e-book. For some reason however Dear Mr. Morpingo is not a common title, although not terribly hard to find on the internet, and can be ordered from the author's website.