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A tender, lyrical tale from the author's childhood in an idyllic English village, with environmental and conservational themes.

In this involving tale, master storyteller Michael Morpurgo revisits the "landscape of his memories", telling of his boyhood in the idyllic village of Bradwell fifty years before. The village is a stone's throw from the sea and is peopled by quirky characters such as the three Stebbing sisters, the white moustachioed Colonel Burton and Bennie the village thug. But the heroine of this story is the serene Mrs Pettigrew, who lives in a railway carriage down in the marshes with her dogs, donkey, bees and hens. But industrial reality intrudes when plans are made to build a nuclear power station on the site of the marshes, endangering Mrs Pettigrew's home and the gulls, owls, kestrels and thousands of insects and plants which also belong there. A village battle ensues for and against the environmental hazard of the power station, and the young Michael finds himself caught up in the sad fate of Mrs Pettigrew and the landscape of his boyhood.

Reviews

It is both moving and thoughtful, and will appeal to slightly more confident readers. Peter Baileys lovely illustrations complement the books charms * Junior *
A beautifully crafted, achingly tender lyrical book. * Carousel *

Author Bio

Michael Morpurgo was 2003-2005 Children's Laureate, has written over one hundred books and is the winner of many awards, including the Whitbread Children's Book Award, the Smarties Book Prize, the Blue Peter Award and the Red House Children's Book Award. His books are translated and read around the world and his hugely popular novel War Horse, already a critically acclaimed stage play, is now a successful feature film. Michael and his wife, Clare, founded the charity Farms for City Children and live in Winkleigh, Devon. www.michaelmorpurgo.org

Peter Bailey has been illustrating books for more than thirty-five years and has worked with such authors as Philip Pullman, Dick King-Smith and Allan Ahlberg. He lives in Liverpool, Lancashire. www.peterbaileyillustrations.blogspot.com