Award-winning author and former Leighton Buzzard teacher publishes his 70th book

An award-winning author whose 70th book, Poppy’s Path, has just been published has dyslexia and didn’t learn to read until he was about seven.

But discovering books like Alice in Wonderland, The Five Children and It, Narnia and The Hobbit opened David Morgan’s imagination to worlds he had never dreamed of.

He recalls: “I wanted to write for that child inside of me, to capture the sense of wonder a young person gets when opening a book into new realms of adventure.

"I wanted to make sense of everything around me – why pigs aren’t green and why the grass doesn’t go oink."

David, a former teacher at Brooklands in Leighton Buzzard, adds: "I still view everything with an endless sense of fascination. The knowledge that we are all unique, important and yet bound together by humanity, intelligence and caring.

"Reading is a world within the pages of a book, sparking excitement and adventure.”

David, 68, was 25 when his first book – The Strange Case of William Whipper-Snapper – was published.

His latest – Poppy’s Path, published by A2Z Press in Florida – is a graphic account of a daring young girl making difficult decisions about what choices she would like to make to take the correct path in life.

He explains: "She is influenced by signs and messages that lead her in interesting directions but not the one she must take. Finally – and to her great surprise – she finds and takes her own path.

"It’s about spiritual renewal and finding our way when all we know is lost in distraction.”

The father-of-three was a freelance music journalist before he turned to teaching and has lived in Ampthill for 26 years.

He’s taught at Stratton Upper in Biggleswade, as well as the old John Bunyan in Bedford, Alameda Middle in Ampthill, Cardinal Newman in Luton and is currently working as a supply teacher covering RPE and Life Skills at Shenley Brook End, Milton Keynes.

David collected an award at the 1980 Richmond Festival performing his chronicle, Blooming Cats. He also won the Paragon Prize for Children’s Stories.