Cobweb Michael Morpurgo and Katie Razzall
Event details
Please note: This event is for schools and home educators ONLY, not the general public.
“They call me Cobweb. I’ll tell you why later. I may be a dog, but I know and understand a lot more than people think I do.”
Enjoy readings from acclaimed author Michael Morpurgo’s latest work, Cobweb (HarperCollins), a stunning tale of courage and kindness. Exploring humanity, animals and the heartbreak of war, the powerful, moving adventure is inspired by the extraordinary true story of the French Drummer Boy of Waterloo.
Our live online event is hosted by Katie Razzall, BBC News Culture and Media Editor, and forms the centrepiece of our Michael Morpurgo Celebration Day. Join us online for a unique opportunity to hear Michael read excerpts from Cobweb, and to ask him questions about his work, inspiration and love of animals and nature.
Michael’s story begins in Britain in 1815 as the end of the war with Napoleon is approaching. Cobweb knows nothing of the war – he loves being a young puppy and playing with his owner, Bethan, exploring the countryside and chasing rabbits. But when he is taken away from Bethan and sold, Cobweb must learn to become a Drover’s Dog – herding sheep and cattle for hundreds of miles on the long, treacherous journey to London.
And after the Napoleonic wars finally come to an end with the Battle of Waterloo, Cobweb meets an unexpected stranger with an incredible tale to tell on his journey home …
This year marks Michael’s eighth York Festival of Ideas appearance – and his first as Patron. If you are a teacher or home educator, we very much hope you’ll join us with your students as we celebrate the renowned author’s amazing power as a writer, communicator and advocate of the arts.
And to make the celebration day even more special for your students, why not organise some additional Michael Morpurgo-inspired activities of your own? If you do, we’d love to hear your plans!
This event will take place live on Zoom Webinar. You will receive a link to join a couple of days before the event and a reminder an hour before. During the event, you can ask questions via a Q&A function, but audience cameras and microphones will remain muted throughout.
Please note: This event is for schools and home educators ONLY, not the general public.
Portrait image credit: Steven Hatton
About the speakers
Michael Morpurgo OBE is one of Britain’s best loved writers for children with sales of over 35 million copies. He has written over 150 books and won many prizes, including the Smarties Prize and the Whitbread Award. In 2005, he won the Blue Peter Book Award for his novel Private Peaceful, which was also adapted into an acclaimed stage play. His subsequent book, The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, spent an astonishing 20 weeks in the bestseller charts. His many other loved works include The Butterfly Lion, Kensuke’s Kingdom, Why the Whales Came, The Mozart Question, Shadow, War Horse and Born to Run. Michael was Children’s Laureate from 2003 to 2005. The charity Farms for City Children, which he founded 50 years ago with his wife Clare, has now enabled over 60,000 children to spend a week living and working down on the farm. He was knighted in 2018 for services to literature and charity. Cobweb is published by Harper Collins.
Katie Razzall is BBC News Culture and Media Editor and presents The Media Show on BBC Radio 4. She moved to the BBC as Newsnight Special Correspondent in 2014 and was promoted to UK Editor in 2020. She previously spent 15 years at Channel 4 News, where she began as a producer, and then later became a reporter and presenter.
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