Although War Horse by Michael Morpurgo is a Scholastic book for children, this endearing story will relate to readers of all ages. No wonder Spielberg is making a movie based on this book. Because of this publicity, I wanted to read this story which was published in 1982 but I had never heard of it. Also, I was curious about the format since it is written in first person point of view - from the horse, Joey!
Like Black Beauty, Joey explains his earliest memories as a colt, his traumatic weaning and life with a British farmer's son, Albert. The pair become very close as the teenager teaches him the basics about horsemanship, and later about riding and driving.
Then World War I changes their idyllic life. Joey is sold to the military and is trained as a cavalry mount and later pulls military wagons such as canons. He meets interesting horses and people, and the scenes kept me turning the pages. I especially loved the scene in No Man's Land.
Although I knew he would be reunited with his beloved Albert, the circumstances were not predictable.
Wow, what a fantastic story! I look forward to seeing the movie.
Visit the author's site at http://www.michaelmorpurgo.com/
1 comment:
Saw the movie - just a great as the book!
Post a Comment