"A writer is a prospector," noted Michael Morpurgo in an article for Children's Literature in Education. "A prospector may find gold by accident or on purpose, by a mere glance at a glinting river bed or by years of laborious back-aching planning. He may never find gold at all. Of course, what a prospector does with his gold is another matter, He could drink it, invest it, pawn it, or bury it." Morpurgo, a prolific British writer of novels and picture books for children and young adults, a reteller of yarns and fables and an editor of anthologies, shares his gold with his readers. His award-winning novels include War Horse, Why the Whales Came, King of the Cloud Forests, Waiting for Anya, The War of Jenkins' Ear, The Wreck of the Zanzibar, The Butterfly Lion, and Escape from Shangri-La.

"Undoubtedly a leading figure in the field of children's...