Sam's Duck

by Michael Morpurgo

On a school trip to Nethercott Farm, Sam rescues a duck from a nasty red-faced man. He is determined to keep the duck, but how will he smuggle it home without anyone finding out? ; This is the story of a city child's discovery of the magic and harsh realities of rural life.

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 21, 1996

About the author

Sir Michael Andrew Morpurgo, OBE, FRSL is the author of many books for children, five of which have been made into films. He also writes his own screenplays and libretti for opera. Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1943, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the last years of the Second World War, then returned to London, moving later to Essex. After a brief and unsuccessful spell in the army, he took up teaching and started to write. He left teaching after ten years in order to set up 'Farms for City Children' with his wife. They have three farms in Devon, Wales and Gloucestershire, open to inner city school children who come to stay and work with the animals. In 1999 this work was publicly recognised when he and his wife were invested a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to youth. In 2003, he was advanced to an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) in 2004. He was knighted in the 2018 for his services to literature and charity. He is also a father and grandfather, so children have always played a large part in his life. Every year he and his family spend time in the Scilly Isles, the setting for three of his books.

Reviews

[Kiran Yousaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story touches upon the life of Sam who saves a duck from bring killed and eaten whilst on a school trip to a farm. He has to find a way of smuggling this duck home back to his granddad. With help from the local gardener he is able to do so without being caught, however once back home safely he discovers that his granddad does not want to keep the duck as a pet and they must decide what to do.

A lovely read and it addressees issues such as animal rights and what pets are suitable for keeping inside a house or flat. There are some great follow up activities including role play and creating alternative endings. Suitable for children in ks1 and ks2.

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wrote this review as part of my PGCE course.

This is a lovely book, nicely interested and sympathetically told. It is the story of a 9/10 year old Afro-carribean boy, brought up by his grandfather in London, and his school trip to a farm. While there, Sam rescues a duck from a market and finds himself having to hide it from his teachers. The story is told with some humour.

I enjoyed this book a great deal and feel it would make a very happy addition to any KS2 book corner.

[WroxallPoppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

We loved this book.
However we discovers that we did not know the male and female names of several animals. Such as a female being a duck and a male being a drake.
In our fables topic in term 5 we will be looking at different gender names of animals, the names of their offspring, a name of a group of that type of animal and what their homes are called.