Michael Morpurgo - Little Manfred

review by Ro Bennett on show 8th Sept 2011

This is a another delightful book by Michael Morpurgo and illustrated beautifully by Michael Foreman. They make such a fantastic team! According to my research, Little Manfred was written for the Imperial War Museum and is a slightly fictionalised account of a true story.
In the Imperial War Museum there is a wooden Dachshund. The wooden toy was carved by a German Prisoner of War and given to the three children of a British family who befriended him on a Kent farm at the end of the Second World War and Little Manfred is the story of its journey from the family to the museum.
The story begins in the summer of 1966, just after England's famous footballing victory against the Germans in the World Cup Final. Charley and her little brother Alex are walking their dog Manfred on the beach when they notice two old men staring out to sea.
A chance encounter brings them together and The children discover that one of the men, Walter, had been a German prisoner of war. When the Bismarck was sunk, he was one of the few German survivors taken on board a British ship as a prisoner of war. He was sent to live with a host family, and had worked and lived on their farm in 1945. Slowly Charley and Alex learn of their mother’s past and the friendships that can be formed in the most difficult of circumstances.
Walter is visiting England, to go to the World Cup Final with an old friend and through his war time memories and time he spent on the farm, the book reveals why a little wooden pull-along toy is so special, particularly to Charley and Alex's mum, Grace.

The Story is based on facts - there are facts about the end of the 2nd world war and about football. It makes very interesting reading as well as imparting knowledge to the children who read itand will delight and educate young and older readers.
There is also an afterword about the history touched on in the story and a short chapter about Michael Foreman's memories of that World Cup... and another dog, this time named Pickles, who saved the day.

It's a compelling, heart warming story about friendship and kindness which captures the futility of war. I thought it was a lovely story and thoroughly enjoyed it.