The Butterfly Lion

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Make a list of the animals named in the book. What can you find out about them? Can you identify what they eat, their habitats, how they are adapted to live there etc? You can also read about his life in War Child to War Horse,a collaborative biography with Maggie Fergusson. We are kept wondering about the fate of the lion, whilst following Bertie’s journey from boyhood to life as a soldier in the French trenches during WWI. It is in this foreign land that Bertie discovers what has become of the lion cub or ‘Le Prince Blanc’ as he is also known. 3. Writing opportunities The Butterfly Lion is a heart warming yet bitter-sweet story. Bertie is a lonely little boy in South Africa who one day adopts an orphaned white lion cub, who then becomes his best friend. Identify any unfamiliar words in the story (e.g. veld, haven, sentinels). Can you find out what they mean and write your own definition?

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 Eccleshare This lovely reading comprehension also comes with a set of questions, which test how well the children have understood the text. This Michael Morpurgo ( war horse and other stories) resources ks2 reading comprehension is designed to prepare students for their KS2 SATs English exam. The war horse resources ks2 fact file is presented in the same way as the reading material which students will encounter in their SATs exams. Sitting high up in a tree, or looking out of his window, Bertie watches the beautiful elephants, giraffes and zebras come down to the water hole. But it's the lions, Bertie likes best of all. And when, one morning, he sees a baby lion cub trying to escape from some hungry hyenas, Bertie rushes out to rescue it. Millie uses the phrase 'Everything comes to he who waits'. What does this mean? Can you find out any more famous phrases? i.e draw a line under it etc

He threw open the gate, and charged down the hill towards the water hole, yelling and screaming, and waving his arms like a wild thing. Startled at this sudden intrusion, the hyenas turned-tail and ran. But not far. Once within range, Bertie hurled a broadside of pebbles at them, and they ran off again. But again, not far. Then he was at the water hole,

The old lady says that ‘true stories do not always end just as we would wish them to’. Do you prefer to hear the truth or something made up that keeps you happy? 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. Clare Pearson is deputy headteacher at Summerbank Primary School in Stoke. Previously, Clare was the Primary Advisory English Teacher for Stoke-on-Trent. Share your best topicFeaturing a fact file on Michael Morpurgo, students will love finding out fun facts and information about the much-loved children's author. If you were going to travel to Timbavati, how would you get there? Can you plot the journey on a map? 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? When Michael Morpurgo was asked to name his favourite of the books he’s written, he named The Butterfly Lion (along with Kensuke’s Kingdom, War Horse and Private Peaceful). 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.

Bertie and Millie first meet when a kite becomes caught in a tree. Design and build simple kites using dowelling, plastic bags (or paper) and string. This will support work on 2D/3D shape, measuring and properties of materials. For many children this may be their first experience of flying a kite and their feelings from this could be captured through diary or poetry writing.

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We've also included lovely illustrations to make this reading comprehension engaging for your students. The children use this plot outline in a new setting (safari park, school, park etc.) ‘stealing’ some of the language features from the model to retell their own story, initially orally and then in writing.