Books with author John Gillingham

These outstanding books bring to life the people, places and events of the past in these islands, from the earliest settlers to the present day. They explore the everyday lives of people of all kinds across the centuries and charting the great moments of social change and of discovery andinvention.Find out how the Magna Carta came about, what it was like to work in a medieval town, and how the Black Death reached the British Isles.

Each year hundreds, if not thousands, of pets are lost, bringing sorrow to their owners. The story of Mikey is such a story. The Miracle of Mikey is a story of a tropical bird swept from his warm, comfortable home by accident, to an outside world, facing a harsh northern winter. It is the story of the struggle for life against all odds. Befriended by hardy sparrows that care for Mikey and teach him how to survive in the outside world, Mikey tastes freedom like he had never imagined. The reader will follow Mikey through the early dangerous weeks he faces in the northern cold. There are lessons of loyalty, love, and kindness as Mikey becomes acclimated to the outside world but still longs for his human friends, Johnny and Danny.The reader will also experience the sorrow and despair of Johnny and Danny at the loss of Mikey. Danny refuses to give up hope that Mikey will return and, despite all odds, believes he will see Mikey again. His faith is upheld when all three reunite, but once reunited, they all learn the meaning of unselfish love in a heartwarming ending.

In our crazy, hectic modern world, where little children seem to know instinctively how to use iPads and smartphones, I yearn for them to have childhood memories of spending blissful hours exploring and learning from the great outdoors and having simple pleasures, such as collecting eggs with your gran, and mostly allowing little brains to be expanded with imaginary pictures that will last a lifetime.