Michael Morpurgo: A Lifetime in Stories, V&A Museum of Childhood

Britain is in the grip of a Michael Morpurgo frenzy. War Horse may have finally retired from the West End, but last year, the V&A hosted an exhibition celebrating 40 years in theatre that featured the props and stage designs from War Horse; last summer The Globe Theatre adapted the little-known Murpurgo story The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips; and this summer another of Morpurgo's novels, Running Wild, returns to the stage at the Hackney Empire. We cannot get enough.

To reveal something of the man behind the amazing stories, the V&A Museum of Childhood (one of our favourite family-friendly London museums) is staging what amounts to a retrospective, exploring the life and writing power of this master storyteller.

Learn the secrets behind Morpurgo’s writing process and discover more about the lives he has created for remarkable characters. On show are draft manuscripts, photographs, notebooks and correspondence that chronicle Morpurgo’s creative process and writing career.

Highlights include early writings, War Horse, Kensuke’s Kingdom and The Butterfly Lion, as well as artwork loaned by some of Britain’s greatest illustrators, including Sir Quentin Blake, Patrick Benson and Michael Foreman. Perhaps best of all, Joey – the original, life-size West End horse puppet from the National Theatre’s award-winning stage adaptation of War Horse, will feature.

Inspire your children to get reading – and make sure you know more of the most talked-about children's author after J.K Rowling – in this lovely museum in East London.