The Butterfly Lion
Encyclopedia
The Butterfly Lion is a children's novel by Michael Morpurgo
. It was first published in Great Britain by Collins
publishers in 1996. It won the 1996 Smarties book prize.
Michael Morpurgo has said that, of those he has written, this is one of his favourite books.
A young boy (believed to be Michael Morpurgo) runs away from a boarding school in Wiltshire. He meets an old woman (Millie), who tells him the story of Bertie and the butterfly lion. When living in Africa, Bertie rescued a white lion cub, but was forced to part with it when he went to boarding school and the lion was sold to a circus. Bertie promises to find the lion one day. At boarding school, he sneaks away and befriends the young Millie.
Later, when fighting in France in the First World War, Bertie is reunited with the lion. He marries Millie and brings the lion back to England, where they live happily for many years. When the lion died, Bertie and Millie carved a lion out of the chalk in the hillside in memorial, before Bertie died himself.
After being told the story, Michael returns to school. He finds a plaque commemorating Bertie's heroic acts in the war, and learns from a teacher that Millie died only a few months after Bertie. Michael goes back to the house, finding it deserted. He hears Millie's voice asking him to look after the chalk lion.
Michael Morpurgo
Michael Morpurgo, OBE FKC AKC is an English author, poet, playwright and librettist, best known for his work in children's literature. He was the third Children's Laureate.-Early life:...
. It was first published in Great Britain by Collins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
publishers in 1996. It won the 1996 Smarties book prize.
Michael Morpurgo has said that, of those he has written, this is one of his favourite books.
A young boy (believed to be Michael Morpurgo) runs away from a boarding school in Wiltshire. He meets an old woman (Millie), who tells him the story of Bertie and the butterfly lion. When living in Africa, Bertie rescued a white lion cub, but was forced to part with it when he went to boarding school and the lion was sold to a circus. Bertie promises to find the lion one day. At boarding school, he sneaks away and befriends the young Millie.
Later, when fighting in France in the First World War, Bertie is reunited with the lion. He marries Millie and brings the lion back to England, where they live happily for many years. When the lion died, Bertie and Millie carved a lion out of the chalk in the hillside in memorial, before Bertie died himself.
After being told the story, Michael returns to school. He finds a plaque commemorating Bertie's heroic acts in the war, and learns from a teacher that Millie died only a few months after Bertie. Michael goes back to the house, finding it deserted. He hears Millie's voice asking him to look after the chalk lion.
Adaptations
The novel was adapted for the stage by the New Perspectives Theatre Company in 2004Main characters
- The narrator, believed to be a young Michael Morpurgo
- Bertie
- Bertie's mother
- Bertie's father
- Millie - the old lady
- The Lion