Kids into books: War Horse

Author: Michael Morpurgo

Illustrator: Michael Forman

Age: 8+ years

Publisher: Mammoth, $16.95


"Not bad for three guineas, is he? Are you, my little firebrand? Not bad at all." The voice was harsh and thick with drink, and it belonged quite evidently to my owner.

I shall not call him my master, for only one man was ever my master.

My owner had a rope in his hand and was clambering into the pen followed by three or four of his red-faced friends. Each one carried a rope. They had taken off their hats and jackets and rolled up their sleeves; and they were all laughing as they came towards me. I had as yet been touched by no man and backed away from them until I felt the bars of the pen behind me and could go no further.

They seemed to lunge at me all at once, but they were slow and I managed to slip past them and into the middle of the pen where I turned to face them again. They had stopped laughing now.

I screamed for my mother and heard her reply echoing in the far distance. It was towards that cry that I bolted, half charging, half jumping the rails so that I caught my forelegs as I tried to clamber over and was stranded there.