Grade 4 Library Week 5 Butterfly Lion book promotion Dear Grade 4s and your Parents Every year in Grade 4 library, I do a book promotion of Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo Michael Morpurgo is a very highly regarded writer for children and I particularly love to promote this book as it has links to South Africa and the famous white lions of Timbavati. So first, I will take you to Michael Morpurgo’s official website …. https://www.michaelmorpurgo.com/ Whenever I go onto a website like this, I first look at all the books the author has written and boy, Michael Morpurgo has written many! Then I like to find out about the author’s life, which you can do here: https://www.michaelmorpurgo.com/about-michael-morpurgo/ So why do I choose to recommend Butterfly Lion to grade 4s? Well, it is actually a story within a story. It starts with a boy Michael, who runs away from his boarding school. He comes across a house and meets the old woman, Millie, who lives there. She tells him an amazing story about a boy and a white lion who became friends. This story takes place in southern Africa and is the story of a young boy who rescues an orphaned white lion cub from the African bush. They remain inseparable until Bertie has to go away to boarding school and the lion is sold to a circus. Years later they are reunited, until the lion gently dies of old age. Here is the author himself reading chapter one of Butterfly Lion, so this will give you a taste of the story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVQd2li8CgQ The white lion cub that Bertie befriends is based on the true fact that rare white lions have been observed for many years in the Timbavati area, near Kruger Park. Here is some footage of white lions for you to watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0xCBOVVGQQ And if you are a NMB library card holder, here are some other Michael Morpurgo e-books which you could borrow and read from the public library.

Lastly, I have included a pdf of questions on chapter 1 on which you could type your answers after listening to Michael Morpurgo read. And a colour in picture, only if you have a printer and enough ink and would enjoy colouring it. No need to do so if you don’t – rather save the ink for your class work. Warm regards and happy reading, Mrs Bentley