LoveReading4Kids Says
The latest endearing animal story from this esteemed storyteller takes inspiration from the astonishing true stories of the drovers, who would take the farmer’s sheep and cattle to market in the big cities, always accompanied by a good reliable dog. The most remarkable fact is that the drover had to stay in the city for weeks selling the sheep and cattle and so these dogs would find their way home on their own, stopping at nights in the same inns, where their food had been prepaid by the drover. In particular the dogs they used on the 250-mile path from west Wales to London were often Pembrokeshire corgis like our narrator, Cobweb, who tells us how he became a drover dog. Born on a farm and beloved by Bethan, who struggles alone with her father, Tad, after her mother and brother were lost fishing, he is abducted by Tad ‘s jealous second wife and passed on to Drover Morgan. Gradually he must accept his fate and recognises that Drover Morgan is a caring owner and in Goodlad, the old collie, he finds a true friend to teach him the skills he needs to become a proper drover’s dog. On his remarkable journey his story becomes entwined with yet another true story – that of the French Drummer Boy of Waterloo and eventually they both find a permanent home with Bethan.
This is a story of canine courage and the true bonds which can be formed between humans and animals, but it also deals with the horrors of war and the loss and sacrifice on both sides. The landscape and historical setting are skilfully evoked in both words and pictures and this would make a very satisfying and popular read – aloud.
Joy Court
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Cobweb Synopsis
A powerful, moving adventure inspired by the extraordinary true story of the French Drummer Boy of Waterloo, Cobweb is a stunning tale of courage and kindness - a book about humanity, animals, and the heartbreak of war, from a writer at the height of his powers.
"They call me Cobweb. I'll tell you why later. I may be a dog, but I know and understand a lot more than people think I do."
Britain. 1815. After years of loss and sacrifice, the end of the war with Napoleon is approaching.
Cobweb knows nothing of the war - he loves being a young puppy and playing with his owner, Bethan, exploring the countryside and chasing rabbits.
But when he is taken away from Bethan and sold, Cobweb must learn to become a Drover's Dog - herding sheep and cattle for hundreds of miles on the long, treacherous journey to London.
And after the Napoleonic wars finally come to an end with the Battle of Waterloo, Cobweb meets an unexpected stranger with an incredible tale to tell on his journey home . . .
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780008352134 |
| Publication date: |
12th September 2024 |
| Author: |
Michael Morpurgo |
| Illustrator: |
Michael Foreman |
| Publisher: |
HarperCollins Children's Books an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
231 pages |
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Michael Morpurgo Press Reviews
‘Moving, unique and utterly charming. This is why Michael Morpurgo is the nation’s favourite storyteller’ - Hannah Gold, author of The Last Bear
‘A hymn to the things that matter: loyalty and love, courage and compassion. This is storytelling that thrums with wisdom and warmth.’ - Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song
‘A truly wonderful story of courage and loyalty, adventure and purpose, and how opening our hearts to people – and dogs – can make us better human beings. No one tells an animal tale like Michael Morpurgo. The reader in me was totally gripped, the dog-lover fell madly in love.’ - Emma Carroll, author of Letters from the Lighthouse
‘Warm, wise and wonderful.’ - Phil Earle, author of When the Sky Falls
‘An appealing tale of a little dog on a big journey. Morpurgo gives us yet another animal adventure to treasure. Cobweb will charm you with his cuteness and impress you with his courage.’ - Lesley Parr, author of The Valley of Lost Secrets
About Michael Morpurgo
Michael Morpurgo began writing stories in the early '70's, in response to the children in his class at the primary school where he taught in Kent. His books have sold over 35 million copies worldwide in almost 40 languages to date. A former Children’s Laureate and current President of BookTrust, Michael was knighted in 2018 for services to literature and charity. He has won many prestigious awards including the Smarties Prize, the Writers Guide Award, the Whitbread Award, the Blue Peter Book Award and the Eleanor Farjeon Lifetime Achievement Award.
His novels have been adapted in a number of plays and films including War Horse directed by Stephen Spielberg (2011), Private Peaceful, Waiting for Anya and Kensuke's Kingdom (2023) which has been nominated for 'Best Feature Film' at the 2024 British Animation Awards
The National Theatre’s adaption of War Horse has been seen by over 10 million people in over 100 cities around the world, broke the West End record for weekly ticket sales and won 5 Tony Awards and 2 Olivier Awards The National Theatre's global phenomenon of War Horse is returning to UK theatres in September 2024.
A son and grandson of actors, Michael has acting in his blood and enjoys collaborating and performing live adaptations of his books at festivals, concerts and theatres.
Michael's books have been translated into many languages including Chinese, Bulgarian and Hungarian, Hebrew and Japanese. He travels all over the UK and abroad talking to people of all ages at literary festivals, telling his stories and encouraging them to tell theirs.
With his wife Clare, he set up the charity Farms for City Children, which offers children and teachers from inner-city primary schools the chance to live and work in the countryside for a week on one of the charity’s three farms in Devon, Gloucestershire and Wales. Over 100,000 children have visited the three farms run by the charity since it began in 1976. Teachers frequently comment that a child can learn more in a week on the farm than a year in the classroom.
For more information about the work of Farms for City Children, please visit www.farmsforcitychildren.org
Michael Morpurgo lives in Devon with his wife Clare.
Anthony Horowitz on Michael Morpurgo:
'Michael Morpurgo is the most solid, classical of children's authors. He sits outside the series-driven blockbusters so beloved of publishers nowadays: he hasn't created a Harry Potter or an Alex Rider – and I admire him for resisting that. We are opposite sides of the same coin and, although his work has never influenced mine, I admire the eloquent, considered voice of his best books. He has an unerring moral compass – his schoolteacher past has never quite left him – and books such as War Horse and The Butterfly Lion have a strong social concience and an honesty that makes them universal.' (The Guardian)
In November 2016 Michael Morpurgo won the J M Barrie Award for his contribution to children’s literature. This award is given every year by Action for Children’s Arts to a “children’s arts practitioner” whose lifetime’s work has delighted children and will stand the test of time.
David Wood, chair of Action for Children’s Arts, said Morpurgo is “one of our greatest storytellers”.
“Michael Morpurgo has thrilled and delighted huge numbers of young readers since becoming a children’s author in the early 1970s," Wood said. "Action for Children’s Arts is delighted to recognise Michael’s outstanding contribution by presenting him with the J M Barrie Award 2016. His work will undoubtedly, like Peter Pan, stand the test of time, making him a truly worthy recipient of this award."
Morpurgo added: “Storymakers and storytellers like Barrie, and like all the previous winners of this award, have given us the hope and faith children need, we need, to keep flying, have sustained us through dark and troubled times, have banished doubt. To touch the lives of children, to witness their listening and reading silence, is reward enough in itself. This is simply the icing on the cake.”
Take a peek at Michael's 10 Rules for Writing.
You can also read about his life in War Child to War Horse, a collaborative biography with Maggie Fergusson.
More About Michael Morpurgo
