Kensuke's Kingdom (1999)

Human Characteristics: Individuality; Loss; Power; Faithfulness-

Life Patterns/Processes: Rite of Passage (Journey into Adulthood)

Recognize how to “be one with nature” Teach an appreciation for nature and for close relationships, compromise, and empathy.

Could be used to teach about the different types of conflict as it involves each. Person vs. Person; Person vs. Self; Person vs. Society; Person vs. Nature.

A very beautiful story about how a young boy escapes poverty on a sailing boat with his family, then gets swept overboard with his dog. He wakes on a deserted island only to find that he is not alone. A interesting look into the thought patterns of a boy trying to get back to his parents. The relationship that evolves from controller to father figure with the gentle but stubborn Kensuke. I love the description of how he paints. Building a friendship around silence. Beautiful. ( )

This is the story of a boy who is lost at sea and finds a new way to survive creating friendships and learning to appreciate what he already had.

A gripping tale of a young boy taken from the familiarity and comfort of his home and school as his parents try their best to bounce back after losing their jobs at the brick factory. The answer: Sail around the world, of course! Michael and his dog are thrown overboard and are rescued to a (deserted?) tropical island where the real journey of discovery and identification of the self begins. ( )

Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo is an children’s adventure story about 11 year old Michael and his dog, Stella who are washed overboard and end up on a desert island in the Pacific during a family trip in the 1980’s. There is one other human on the island, an elderly Japanese man who looks after Michael but doesn’t seem to want him to try to catch the attention of any passing boat or do anything that could perhaps end in Michael’s rescue and reunion with his mother and father.

At first Michael is bitterly angry at Kensuke’s attitude but life on the island has its own gentle rhythm that eventually finds Michael and Kensuke bonding as they fish, paint and play football together. Kensuke tells Michael his story of how he ended up on the island. Kensuke eventually realizes that Michael is too young to be stranded on the island the rest of his life so the two build a signal fire and through their conversations, Michael is sure that Kensuke will come off the island with him. But when rescue finally arrives, Kensuke elects to stay on the island as he feels responsible for protecting the orangutans and other wildlife that are to be found there.

My granddaughter read this book for school and wasn’t particularly taken with it and as I knew this author and love survival stories, I decided to read it for myself. I can understand why she wasn’t enthralled by the book as there wasn’t a lot of action or humor in the story, both elements of which she looks for. This is a book to bring an awareness of the environment to the young and as such, I thought the author did a fine job. I enjoyed the book with its simple language and quiet understated story. ( )