Kensuke's Kingdom

Product Information

Gorgeous new colour illustrations for the best-selling Kensuke's Kingdom. Washed up on an island in the Pacific, Michael struggles to survive on his own. With no food and no water, he curls up to die. When he wakes, there is a plate beside him of fish, of fruit, and a bowl of fresh water. He is not alone … Kensuke's Kingdom is a gripping adventure from the author of War Horse. Michael Morpurgo has written more than one hundred books for children and won the Whitbread Award, the Smarties Award, the Circle of Gold Award, the Children’s Book Award and has been short-listed for the Carnegie Medal four times. Michael kept his promise to Kensuke. What does a promise mean? Has anyone ever asked you to keep a promise? Michael’s father has a dream to sail around the world. Do you have a dream? What steps do you need to take to achieve it? Kensuke's Kingdom is a gripping adventure of survival and true friendship from the author of War Horse.

Imagine that you have just woken up alone on an island. Write a story that explains what happens next. Washed up on an island in the Pacific, Michael struggles to survive on his own. With no food and no water, he curls up and closes his eyes ready for the end. When he wakes, there is a plate beside him of fish, of fruit, and a bowl of fresh water. He is not alone …Kensuke, the Japanese soldier who Michael meets on the island, is named after one of Micheal’s fans who he met at a book signing event. It’s pronounced Kensky. Imagine that you could interview Michael, Kensuke and / or his parents. What would you ask them? How might they respond at different points in the story? Added Hendry: “Something that we have been focusing on in the last few years is the creative blend of mixed media. We like to see how the things we love can inhabit the same space — the charm of 2D hand drawn characters, the depth of photoreal worlds, the character of miniature environments, matte paintings and the random nature of filmed effects footage.”

Create your own map of the island, using information in the book (and Michael Morpurgo’s illustrations) to help you (see Resources below). Michael spots a lot of amazing creatures on his adventure. Can you find out more about one (or more) of them? The front cover of the early edition has an illustration inspired by the work of Japanese painter Hokusai Katsushika. The painter is mentioned in the story, too. Michael Morpurgo has written more than one hundred books for children and won the Whitbread Award, the Smarties Award, the Circle of Gold Award, the Children’s Book Award and has been short-listed for the Carnegie Medal four times. In August 2018, WildChild Productions took a theatrical adaptation of Kensuke's Kingdom by Stuart Paterson to Edinburgh Festival Fringe. [3] It featured a voiceover by Jenny Agutter.

Michael and Kensuke make a range of objects using materials from the island. Could you make your own clothes / equipment / tools using natural materials found on the ground? An utterly magical of one boy’s desert island adventure – full of friendship, trust and humanity. From the nation’s favourite storyteller.

Like Private Peaceful, War Horseand several other of Michael Morpurgo’s novels, Kensuke’s Kingdom has been turned into a play. As a child Michael Morpurgo enjoyed reading Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, and although this book is very different to Kensuke’s Kingdom, they do share some common ground. Turn the story (or part of it) into a playscript and perform it. Watch this video of a stage version for inspiration: Create a plan view of Kensuke’s cave house, using information from the book to include the correct features. Kensuke’s Kingdom has strong themes of ecological conservation and respect for the environment, including a climactic showdown with poachers who are trying to overtake the island, and directors Boyle and Hendry have spent time investigating the best approach for visualizing the natural world onscreen. They’ve come up with a solution that balances organic elements with digital compositing, and which is both unique and visually striking.

In the epilogue, Michael publishes his story after ten years, as Kensuke asked him to do, and receives a letter from Michiya, Kensuke's son, who reveals that he and his mother did indeed avoid the Nagasaki bombing, for they went to visit their grandparents during the bombing. Michael and Michiya meet, and Michael notes that Michiya laughs just like his father did.