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Michael Foreman
Michael Foreman's favourite animals are frogs - he's got a whole
pond-full in his garden.
Michael grew up during the Second World War,
over-hearing the talk of soldiers and listening to the roar of
aeroplane engines from his bedroom. He drew pictures of Spitfires
and bombers or sporting personalities.
At school he was quiet but sporty and his childhood
ambition was to be a footballer. His ideal day out nowadays is
taking his sons to watch a Chelsea match.
After leaving art school Michael travelled all over
the world making films and television commercials, and doing
hundreds and hundreds of sketches. He's drawn oil rigs in the North
Sea, reindeer herds in the Arctic Circle and kangaroos in
Australia. These sketches inspired many of his books, from Panda's
Puzzle to Myths and Legends from Many Parts of the
World.
Michael writes his own stories as well as
illustrating stories written by other people. More recently, since
his own sons were born, Michael has been writing about his own
childhood, answering the question, “What was it like, Dad,
when you were little?” Michael loves writing about his past
and he's also written about earlier periods of history - most
notably the story of the soldiers of the First World War in War
Game.
Michael's favourite place to relax is St Ives in
Cornwall. He has a studio in the garden of his house there, where
he works and watches the sea.
Angel and the Box of Time
Angel is excited to be joining her grandfather in his travelling show. She especially loves the dancing goat that appears from inside the old wooden box. Angel takes a peep into the box and travels back in time to other places. A fantasy picture book with a haunting message about the bonds of family. (9+)
Published by Red Fox
The Little Reindeer
One snowy Christmas Eve a boy unwraps a strangely-shaped parcel. Out comes the Little Reindeer. So much more than just an ordinary pet, the Little Reindeer soon proves to be a creature with a special destiny. A magical Christmas story. (8+)
Published by Red Fox
Dinosaurs and all that rubbish
A classic picture book that tells how dinosaurs take over and destroy the world that Man has polluted. The book has a powerful message about conservation and the need to share the Earth's resources. (9+)
Published in Puffin Books
War Boy
Michael Foreman tells the story of his own childhood growing up in a quiet seaside town in Suffolk, right in the front line of the German bombers in World War Two. There's the gang life as the Hill Street gang try to outwit the Ship Road gang, there's games to play with gas masks and, above all, there's the delight of giant gobstoppers. A glorious portrait of a childhood from an earlier time. (10+)
Published in Puffin Books
War Game
There's the excitement of enlisting, and the bravery, disappointment and fear of being a soldier. And then there's the story of the strange football game played between British and German soldiers one Christmas Day in the middle of the First World War. (10+)
Published in Puffin Books
After The War Was Over
Michael Foreman continues the story of his childhood in the years following the victory bonfires of 1945. Old bombed-out buildings make great adventure playgrounds, and there's the excitement of the Saturday morning picture. And then there's the happiness and sorrow as only some fathers return home. (11+)
Published in Puffin Books
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[ Windows Media Clip 1- War Boy ]
[ Windows Media Clip 2- I had no books at home as a child ]
[ Windows Media Clip 3- I write about something I want to illustrate ]
[ Windows Media Clip 4- Wonderful Stories ]
