“It was certain stories that she [my mother] read that always stayed with me and without which I would never have become a reader, let alone a story-maker myself.”
These are the words of award-winning author and former teacher Michael Morpurgo, who tells the story of how his own love of literature grew from bedtime tales. His literary passion was ignited by Edward Lear, Walter de la Mare and Rudyard Kipling.
The discovery of reading is the focus of Morpurgo’s I Believe in Unicorns, a novel which is now being adapted for stage. The story details the life of reluctant bookworm Tomas whose imagination is ignited by visiting the library and hearing the magical tales of the Unicorn Lady.
To celebrate the story’s arrival on the London stage, Morpurgo will be joining us online to answer your and your students’ questions on all things literary. The aim is to inspire a passion for books and get children excited about the power of reading and storytelling.
You and your class can ask anything from, “How did you get into storytelling?” to “Which character do you most relate to?”.
Taking part is simple: you just need to register to comment. You can do this on the link above, but please note that your username will be public. Once you’re signed up, you can post students’ questions in the comments thread below now or live on Monday 29 June from 11.30am to 12.15pm. To send questions in advance tweet us @GuardianTeach and follow our hashtag #askmorpurgo.
