di Mark Worden
This month’s recommended book for foreign readers of English is Warhorse by Michael Morpurgo, which has been made into both a successful stage show and a film (directed by Steven Spielberg). It tells the story of Joey, a horse that is taken from an English farm to serve in the trenches during the First World War, and how the farmer’s son, Albert, fights to save him.
We asked voice artist Rachel Roberts to recommend an author for foreign readers of English:
Now, another writer that I would recommend – again is a writer for... for.. for young people – is Michael Morpurgo, who is a fantastic writer, and I don’t know if he is still the Children’s Laureate, but he was from about 2005, and two books which are very good are: one is the Warhorse, which is the story of a horse who is a… which is a farm horse which is taken to the front during the First World War. It’s also been made into a fantastic, spectacular stage show with immense puppets, so once you’ve read the book you can go and see the show. And another one is Private Peaceful, which is a story of two brothers who go to the First World War. So, even though the language is very clear and simple, the themes are quite adult, so it’s interesting for adults, too. And also the books are... are quite thin, so it’s not demoralising because you haven’t got an enormous great… great book to read!
(Rachel Roberts was talking to Mark Worden)