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OverviewBest-selling author Michael Morpurgo turns his storytelling skills to the drama and tragedy of the Spanish Civil War, illustrated by Michael Foreman. TORO,TORO is the story of a young boy growing up in Andalucia, Spain, on a farm rearing bulls for the bull ring. Antonito hand rears a little black calf and they become firm friends, but the boy doesn't yet understand the fate of the black bulls – the corrida and death. Later, when he learns of the horrors of the bull fight, he frees Paco, the black bull, and rides with him into the hills.There they witness the bombing of their village (it's the year 1936, and the Spanish Civil War has started) and Antonito cannot go back – his family and the farm are destroyed, and Paco has run off, wild with fright. He decides to stay in the hills, where he meets up with the Resistance fighters. During the War, Antonito hears stories round the campfire of the wonderful black bull, who becomes a symbol of freedom for them all. Could this really be Paco? But no-one has ever seen him. After the war, when Antonito is working as a muleteer in the mountains, he falls asleep and dreams of Paco. In the morning, he wakes to see hoof prints on the ground beside him… A delightful story, full of nostalgia and drama in the author's own inimitable style. Illustrated by Michael Foreman. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Michael Morpurgo , Michael ForemanPublisher: HarperCollins Publishers Imprint: HarperCollins Children's Books Edition: New edition Dimensions: Width: 12.90cm , Height: 1.00cm , Length: 19.80cm Weight: 0.120kg ISBN: 9780007107186ISBN 10: 0007107188 Pages: 128 Publication Date: 07 May 2002 Recommended Age: From 9 To 11 Audience: Children/juvenile , Primary & secondary/elementary & high school , Children / Juvenile , Educational: Primary & Secondary Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: To order  Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us. Table of ContentsReviewsA tale about another country and another time that resonates with the here and now! Once again, Morpurgo demonstrates his talent for stories of absolute clarity about big events Sunday Times A poignant tale, simply told, about the horror of the Spanish Civil War and the noble cruelty of bullfighting. Sunday Telegraph In Toro! Toro! Michael Morpurgo unpicks the problem of taking sides, of how enemies can be good, of guilty secrets kept for years! A compact, horrifying and compelling story The Times A beautifully, directly and convincingly told story: typical Morpurgo. Michael Foreman's illustrations are exactly right and the whole is a very fine, thoroughly recommended, production. School Librarian A tale about another country and another time that resonates with the here and now! Once again, Morpurgo demonstrates his talent for stories of absolute clarity about big events Sunday Times A poignant tale, simply told, about the horror of the Spanish Civil War and the noble cruelty of bullfighting. Sunday Telegraph In Toro! Toro! Michael Morpurgo unpicks the problem of taking sides, of how enemies can be good, of guilty secrets kept for years! A compact, horrifying and compelling story The Times A beautifully, directly and convincingly told story: typical Morpurgo. Michael Foreman's illustrations are exactly right and the whole is a very fine, thoroughly recommended, production. School Librarian A young child sees violence done in the bull ring, and worse violence to his small town, in this powerful, simply written tale by Britain's Children's Laureate, set during the Spanish Civil War. Horrified to learn that the corrida involves not just a dance, but a death, six-year-old Antonito returns to his father's farm outside the village of Saucedo, determined to save his beloved bull Paco from such a bloody fate. But by sneaking out to free Paco and the rest of his father's herd early one morning, he becomes a witness as Saucedo is bombed, and the survivors massacred, by Franco's forces. Foreman ably captures Antonito's innocence, devastation, and slow recovery in black-and-white vignettes; Morpurgo likewise delineates the close relationship between boy and bull, and the shock of being swept up in war, in ways that will resonate with younger readers. Compelling. (Fiction. 9-11) (Kirkus Reviews) Michael Morpurgo has never shied away from controversial subject matter, and this new offering from the Whitbread Award-winning author is well up to the standard of its predecessors. Antonito lives on a farm in Spain at the time of the Civil War. He helps to deliver a black calf, Paco, and the two form a special bond. Then he discovers that Paco is destined for the bullring, and appalled at the idea he plans to let him escape into the hills. But the war is approaching their village, and Paco flees in fear. In his preface Morpurgo explains how he was drawn to the storyline by a walk in the Andalucia region of southern Spain where he stumbled upon a farm that bred the black bulls associated with bullfighting. Nearby was a village which had suffered severely during the Spanish Civil War. His imagination triggered, Morpurgo set about creating a tale that is both informative and moving and, most importantly, compelling reading for youngsters. The large typeface is easy to read and the book is beautifully illustrated throughout by Michael Foreman - another prodigious award-winner. His haunting images of ruined villages sit nicely alongside his simple depictions of animals and people alike, and most fascinating of all are his images of bulls and horses staring up at warplanes flying over the countryside. An enchanting book. Ages 7+ (Kirkus UK) Author InformationMichael Morpurgo OBE is one of the UK's best-loved authors for children and young people. He was the third UK Children's Laureate and he has won the Children's Book Award, the Nestle Children's Book Prize and the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award. There have been many stage and screen adaptations of his books, including a major film and award-winning stage play based on War Horse. Michael also set up the charity Farms for City Children with his wife Clare. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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