Running Wild

Product Information

Will's survival from day to day provides ample excitement and adventure, but behind lies the question of whether and how he will return to England and his grandparents. This is, in a way, a love story; Will's relationships with Oona and the orang-utans are too significant to be left behind. I also loved Charlie, Tonk, and Bart. They depened on Will, and Will was always there for them. He helped them through every moment of there struggles. In the second paragraph the text says that Morpurgo was born in 1943. It then goes on to say 'When the Second World War broke out Michael.... was evacuated'. However, the war began in 1939 so Michael's evacuation cannot have been triggered by the start of the war. I always thought if I were ever going to have an animal for a best friend it would be a unicorn. That’s until I was introduced to Oona. The world’s most devoted, caring and intelligent Elephant, and the best friend Will could ask for.

And, reading this text will help children develop their spelling and vocabulary, which is essential for the KS2 SATs exams. What are some of Michael Morpurgo's books?

Engage children with digital learning

We've also included lovely illustrations to make this reading comprehension engaging for your students. Running Wild by Michael Morpurgo starts with a boy, Will Robert, riding an elephant along a beach, whilst on holiday in Indonesia. Will is grieving for his father, Robert, who died in the Iraq War. The elephant, Oona, is in an odd mood that day: her handler mentions that she refused to go into the sea for her usual morning dip. Suddenly, Oona charges off with Will clinging on for dear life. As they ascend a hill, Will witnesses the Boxing Day tsunami obliterating the beach where he had been moments earlier. Will is very sad.

remember to tell her that last thing at night before I went off to sleep. Mum had always told me the same thing at bedtime; Dad too, when he was home. I always loved them saying it. And now it comforted me to be saying it to Oona each night, helped me to put the past behind me, and to come to terms with my new life in the jungle with Oona. Of course I didn’t expect any kind of response from her to anything I’d said. I did think sometimes, that an occasional, ‘Love you too,’ would have been nice. But it never happened. There was one time though, when she did reply, in a sort of a way, in a most surprising way actually. I’d just said my ‘goodnight, love you’, when she let out one of the longest, loudest farts I had ever heard in all my life. I’d known her long enough by now to know she was a frequent farter, but this particular one was truly the most magnificent fart of all farts, and musical too, one that seemed to go on and on interminably. I could hear my own giggling echoing through the trees long after I’d finished. I remember I’d always giggled with Bart and Tonk and Charlie when someone let off in school assembly, even when we knew we’d get into trouble with Big Mac. I don’t know why, but when it came to farts I was a helpless giggler, I could never stop myself. Now out here in the jungle there was no need to stop myself, no Big Mac to keep me in at playtime. There wasn’t any real need to stop myself either when my laughter turned to tears, as it so often had done since I’d been in the jungle with Oona. I could tell it upset her when I cried, so I did my best not to. I promised her so often that I wouldn’t cry again, but it was a promise I was still struggling to keep. I went on promising her all the same, because I knew that one day if I promised it often enough, it would help me to make it happen. “I’m not going to cry, Oona.” I’d hold her trunk between my hands, close my eyes, and tell her yet again. “I’m not going to think of them. I mean it this time. I really mean it. I promise. I promise. I promise.” Every night during those early times with Oona, I tried to keep that promise, and there were many nights when I failed. There were no weeks and months for me any more, not in this place, only days, and the long long nights. Whenever I saw a glimpse of the moon through the trees above, I’d think about where I’d seen it before, through the window at home, out camping with Dad. It was these nights I hated most, for it was then that, however much I tried, the old griefs would come welling up inside me again. All I could do then was give myself up to tears. In some strange way though, I found the discomfort of having to sleep rough in the jungle each night did help to distract me from the sadnesses Michael's books have been translated into many languages including Chinese, Bulgarian and Hungarian, Hebrew and Japanese. He travels all over the UK and abroad talking to people of all ages at literary festivals, telling his stories and encouraging them to tell theirs. Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments Will and his mother are on a trip to Indonesia, Will is living out his dream of rising an elephant, when suddenly they become separated(by the elephant) in an urgent commotion. The boxing day tsunami was coming. Oona, the elephant saved Wills life from a terrible disaster, and continues to do so throughout the narrative. With the rich, vivid adjectives the visualisation of each event Will encounters is unexplainable. This novel made me laugh and cry from start to finish. I was truly captivated and unable to put it down. The approachable manner in which this is achieved, through the eyes of nine-year-old Will means this book, although will have differing effects on each audience member, is accessible for KS2 pupils and above.Parallels with The Jungle Book are clear, but in the 21st century humans are more threatening than the "weakest and most defenceless of all living things" described in Kipling's classic. Bigger even than the tragedies of the opening chapters is the destruction of the forest environment and its wildlife, and the greatest dangers Will faces come from human interference. Separated from Oona, he's captured by a hunter-dealer who has tigers shot for their body parts and baby orang-utans captured for sale. Running Wild by Michael Morpurgo Is a book about a boy named Will. Will has lost his father and is still recovering, to escape from all the sadness Will and his mom take a trip to Indonesia. The elephant, Oona, Will was riding starts moving away from the beach as if she was scared. Faster than Will is able to realize a tsunami comes crashing in and Oona begins to run towards the jungle. This book is a story about how Will has to survive in the jungle with nothing but his companion, Oona.

This lovely reading comprehension also comes with a set of questions, which test how well the children have understood the text.In 2016 Samuel Adamson adapted it for the stage, in a production at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. [5] References [ edit ] This reading comprehension is a brilliant way to prepare your Year 6 students for their KS2 SATs exams. Featuring a fact file on Michael Morpurgo, students will love finding out fun facts and information about the much-loved children's author.