27 February 2011

Classic War Stories

Once Upon A Wartime: Classic War Stories for Children runs from 11 February to 30 October 2011 at the Imperial War Museum London.

Once Upon A Wartime delves into the pages of well-loved books, bringing five stories of war dramatically to life.

Adults and children can wander through life-size sets, peer into intricate scale models and explore the stories’ themes of loyalty, separation, excitement, survival and identity.

From the bleak landscape of no man’s land in War Horse to the imposing tower blocks of London’s gang warfare in Little Soldier, this exhibition is an immersive journey through the worlds of the books. Pull up a chair in Hepzibah’s kitchen where the scene is set straight out of Carrie’s War, discover the secret fortress from The Machine Gunners and listen to the footsteps above the cellar where the Balicki children find shelter in The Silver Sword.

Behind the scenes of the stories, see what inspired the authors to write their books, and find out about the historical context of each story through objects, photographs and films.

Information above taken from http://wartime.iwm.org.uk/

Carrie's War, The Machine Gunners, The Silver Sword, War Horse and Little Soldier are all available for loan from the school library.

20 February 2011

Michael Morpurgo

Michael Morpurgo is one of Britain's most popular children's authors, and a previous Children's Laureate. He has written over 120 books and more recently become a household name among adults following the hugely successful dramatisation of his book War Horse, which is now being made into a film by Stephen Spielberg.

As part of the BBC's Year Of Books, this year’s Richard Dimbleby Lecture was given by Michael Morpurgo, who explored the increasingly urgent issue of children’s rights and the wrongs that young people have to endure.

Follow the link on his website http://www.michaelmorpurgo.com/news/ to watch the lecture on BBC iPlayer, where you can also listen to extracts of Michael’s books and watch videos of Michael Morpurgo talking about his new book Shadow, including an exclusive reading.

Once Upon A Wartime, a new exhibition which opened at the Imperial War Museum London earlier this month, delves into the pages of well-loved books, bringing five stories of war dramatically to life, including War Horse. Find out about what inspired Michael to write War Horse, see behind the scenes of the story, explore the historical context of the story through fascinating objects, photographs and films.