The Boy Who Would Be King: A poetic, beautifully illustrated children’s book – the perfect gift to commemorate the coronation of King Charles III

by Michael Morpurgo

A beautifully illustrated full-colour tribute to King Charles III, published to mark his coronation – from the bestselling creators of There Once Is a Queen.
There once was a boy who was going to be king one day . . .

From the Nation’s Favourite Storyteller Sir Michael Morpurgo comes a poetic celebration of our new monarch, King Charles III, beautifully illustrated in watercolour by acclaimed artist Michael Foreman.

There once was a little boy, born a prince. Encouraged by his parents, he grew up with a passion for the countryside, wanting to look after it. Then, as the longest-serving Prince of Wales in British history, he dedicated decades of his life to raising awareness for conservation. Now our King, his devoted work will continue to inspire the protection of our planet for future generations.

This allegorical story tells how – with the help of a tiny acorn – a wise old woman gives a lonely boy, who would be king, the courage and determination to change the world for the better, for everyone. An exquisite companion to There Once Was a Queen, this commemoration of King Charles III’s coronation is a gift book truly to be treasured.

Genres: Poetry, Childrens

72 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 13, 2023

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

[Emily Pankhurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing was simple yet a joy to read. There was a nice flow to the book. The font was clear and easy to read with illustrations mainly around the text. There were a few cases where the text had a different colour background so that may cause issues for some readers. Blocks of writing were in different places on the page, but it was easy to follow and I think added interest.

The story itself was lovely to read and I enjoyed the sentiment behind it. The pictures were great and added to the enjoyment of reading the book. There was a nice blend of real life and fairy tale to the story which I enjoyed.

Overall a lovely book and one that I recommend reading.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read by the author, such a treat!

[The Library Mouse Tales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not long ago, I was given a copy of “There Once is a Queen” by the same author and illustrator. It was produced to celebrate the queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Sadly, the Queen died in September 2022 and now her oldest son, Charles, has become king. We bought this book to remind us of his coronation which will take place on the 6th May 2023.

Just like the previous book, this has beautiful watercolour illustrations to accompany a poetic fairy tale story of a monarch and the difficult job they have as ruler of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

The book begins like a biography with the story of King Charles’ childhood: growing up in the palace and enjoying the countryside. He couldn’t spend as much time with his parents as he liked because they were busy working royals. When he was old enough, he was sent away to boarding school which he hated.

Then the book becomes more like an allegorical fairy tale than a biography. One day while out on a cross-country run, the prince decides to run away. He meets an old lady in the woods, who invites him in to get warm by the fire. She asks him to keep watch over the cakes she is baking in the oven while she goes out to check on her hens. The cold and exhausted prince falls asleep and the cakes burn. The prince feels terrible but the old lady offers to cook something else while he tells her about himself.

When he tells her how he doesn’t want to go back to school or become king one day, she tells him the famous story of King Alfred and the burnt cakes. The story helps him realise that he can’t run away from his problems or from his future. He promises to do his best to be a good king like Alfred was and dedicates his life to protecting nature and the countryside.

The book ends with the king’s coronation and a memory of the lesson he learned from the old lady in the woods. The king promises to do his best to continue improving the world and caring for all its plants and animals.

I think this a great book to commemorate the coronation and would make a nice gift. It will be enjoyed by people of all ages. Young children will enjoy listening to the story and looking at the pictures while older children and adults will enjoy the familiar details about our King’s life and the legendary story of King Alfred.

[Surya · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a child when you hear epics like "Mahabharatha" it is all so distant and far away. But as an adult you realise how close to reality it is."The boy who would be King" by M Morpurgo is yet another story about kings and queens. Not a fan of monarchy. The experiences may vary depending on who one is or where one is from, but the intensity of pain and happiness over the course of life pretty much averages the same to everyone I think.

Good read. Wouldn't recomment anyone to spend your bucks buying this, but if you happen to lay your hands on it, then yeah sure worth passing time sort of book.

[Loren Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not going to comment on the subject of this book (being Charles III) and rather focus on the story, which was really sweet. The intro in which Michael mentions his connection to the story is also really great — it helps provide a little historical context and understanding about why he would want to write about his particular topic. Altogether, a great kids book by a great author!

[Jackie Mc · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely story to the new king!

[Saturday's Child · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucky enough to find this as a hard copy.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another stunner from Michael Morpurgo. My niece has now asked for the one about the Queen! These are to treasure!

[Jodi_ice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cawpile: 7.79 4*

[Charlotte Claridge-Ingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story, illustrations and message.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another beaut from the man with the gift of the gab!

[Bree Beattie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful