The Butterfly Lion transports the reader/listener to two very different continents and several different stages in time. It takes you on a rich journey of adventure,loneliness,loss,sadness,hope,love,friendship,determination and joy.

Butterfly Lion: The classic story of an unforgettable The Butterfly Lion: The classic story of an unforgettable

Millie uses the phrase ‘Everything comes to he who waits’. What does this mean? Can you find out any more famous phrases? Friendship, war and separation are some of the big themes that children can explore while reading Michael Morpurgo's The Butterfly Lion... Invite into school a representative from a local animal rescue centre to talk his/her work on returning animals to the wild. I’m the English Coordinator at a small little school and I took on the task last year of developing a guided reading programme for KS2 as I noticed this was missing from the school. Some books make you laugh, don't they? And other books make you hold your breath, because you can't believe what's about to happen next. Other books make you feel sad, because, the writer has made you care for the characters so much. Well, I have to tell you, that this book has all of that. I'm never going to forget reading this book.

Roger McGough’s poems based on the Carnival of the Animals will provide a starting point for children’s own writing, whilst in art, works by Chagall, Miro and Seurat referencing the circus will support discussion of style and developing mixed media work. The Born Free Foundation is an international wildlife charity. Can you find out more about the work that it does? Could you plan and carry out some fundraising activities to support it? You could conduct a survey to find out your friends favourite animals and show the results in different types of table / graph? The last suggestion relates to the answer sheet for the questions. The model answer for question 7 suggests using the word 'significant' from the glossary. However, that word isn't used in the glossary for the two star text.

The Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo, Christian Birmingham The Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo, Christian Birmingham

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. I created this for a high ability guided reading group for Year 4. Please notice the pictures example I added at the end. Write / tell one of the stories that the men might share when they come home from their time away guarding the cattle. Make a list of the animals named in the book. Can you use a Venn diagram or Carroll diagram to sort them into different groups? The inspiring magic of a white lion brings friendship and hope to a lonely ten year old. Miserable at his boarding school, Bertie runs away. He is rescued by a kind old lady who tells him of how another Bertie, a little boy from a long time before, saved an orphaned lion cub in Africa. The symbol of the white lion becomes an emblem of hope as well as a link across generations. Michael Morpurgo is skilful in weaving together magical and real stories. ~ Julia EccleshareShould animals be used in circuses? Discuss with the person next to you. Write a letter of persuasion 1. if you think they should why or 2. if you think they shouldnt then why? The first paragraph in the Charity section begins 'Ten years later...set-up the charity for City Children'. The paragraph before this ends with Michael writing his first book in 1974, which then implies that the Charity was set up in 1984. However, the Charity was set up in 1976, which was ten years after he had started teaching. It might be better to start that paragraph 'Ten years after he had started teaching...' Look at a picture of a white lion cub and think of vocabulary to describe it? (see Resources below). In the second paragraph the text says that Morpurgo was born in 1943. It then goes on to say 'When the Second World War broke out Michael.... was evacuated'. However, the war began in 1939 so Michael's evacuation cannot have been triggered by the start of the war. While I wouldn't say this is an exciting book is covers a lot of exciting issues and keeps readers with a variety of interest hooked.