Oxford Reading Tree TreeTops Greatest Stories: Oxford Level 15: The Red Badge of Courage

Henry Fleming just wants to be a hero. So when he gets the chance to fight in the American Civil War he signs up right away. But out on the battlefield it's a long way from home, and the reality of war is not as romantic as he thought. When you're doomed if you fight and doomed if you run, what's a man to do? Henry doesn't want to be a coward, but sometimes courage is the hardest thing to find. Follow him on his journey of discovery, where the boundaries of right and wrong are not so easy to see. TreeTops Greatest Stories offers children some of the worlds best-loved tales in a collection of timeless classics. Top children's authors and talented illustrators work together to bring to life our literary heritage for a new generation, engaging and delighting children. The books are carefully levelled, making it easy to match every child to the right book. Each book contains inside cover notes to help children explore the content, supporting their reading development. Teaching notes on Oxford Owl offer cross-curricular links and activities to support guided reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Michael Morpurgo is one of the UK's most well-known and best-loved authors. A prolific writer, he has won numerous awards and was the Children's Laureate from 2003 to 2005. His world-famous War Horse met with international acclaim and has been made into a stage play and a film. Kimberley Reynolds is Professor of Childrens Literature at Newcastle University. She has advised on and contributed to many children's literature broadcasts, programmes, films and other projects, including for the VandA Museum, British Library and British Council. In 2013 she won the International Brothers Grimm Award for an outstanding body of research into children's literature. She is a trustee of Seven Stories, the National Centre for Childrens Books in Newcastle and was a founder-member of the UK Childrens Laureate.