Exploring Children’s Literature #3 – Billy the Kid by Michael Morpurgo
Wednesday, 25 April 2018
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When I was 10 years old, I was
introduced to the wonder of Michael Morpurgo through Kensuke’s Kingdom. Of all
of the books I read whilst at school when I was a child, there are only two
that I specifically remember studying and being completely engaged by – this one,
and The Suitcase Kid by Jacqueline Wilson. Morpurgo’s style of
writing thrilled me beyond any feeling I’ve ever experienced and it is probably
his influence that encouraged my love of reading further. Since reading this
book, I have read countless books by him and am constantly on the look-out for
new releases.
Now that I am a primary school
teacher myself, using class readers to help with engagement and encourage children
to read good quality literature makes a lot more sense to me than it did back
then. I’ve realised it wasn’t necessarily just the book that attracted me, but
the way it was taught- with insightful activities, memorable pieces of artwork
and an enthusiasm that came directly from the class teacher. I have learnt that
to encourage a child to love a book, you have to love it yourself, so being
able to teach Billy the Kid by Michael Morpurgo this half term has
definitely allowed for that intention.
Anyone that knows me well will
know that, as well as my love of books, I have a love of football and of the
wartime period. This book manages to combine all three of my loves and brings
us a story full of beauty but also incredible sadness. Reading this story aloud
to a group of children full of innocence and belief in the world is poignant –
they understand how deep the words are and the room is brought to a complete
hush as I read.
The story follows Billy, an 80
year old man looking back on his life. He reveals his talent as a footballer
and how, back in the day, he played professionally for Chelsea Football Club. He
tells of the trials and tribulations that he experienced to get to the point, including
the loss of his father and later on, the loss of his brother in the Second
World War. It is this loss that finally breaks him and he signs up to join the
army- specifically, to drive ambulances – to make his brother proud of him and
as a means of allowing himself forgiveness for the war he treated the same
brother when he told of his decision to enlist. His war days are told in detail
and his suffering is vast – to the extent where he returns from the war, years
later, a changed man – he comes back to nothing and no-one and has to make do
with living on the street. It isn’t until he meets a young family who
understand his difficulties, take pity on him, that he realises the extent of
his trauma.
This book is beautiful. I’ve
noticed recently when reading war based literature that it can often be
problematic- this book, for the most part, comes without political agenda. The
story focuses more on Billy and his personal experiences of the war, as opposed
to the experiences of the war as a whole. Morpurgo writes in a way that is enjoyable
to both adult and children, and I am not at all embarrassed to admit that the
story brought a tear to my eye on more than one occasion. (Embarrassingly - on the
train. Why do I always read heart-wrenching books on the train?) My class and I are around three quarters of
the way through the story and they too are enjoying it immensely. The work that’s
being produced as a result of the reading is fantastic.
I can’t wait to read Morpurgo’s
newest book Flamingo Boy in the
coming weeks – I imagine I’ll love it just as much as I loved this one.
4.5/5.
