About the book: year / The author of more than a hundred books, Michael Morpurgo lives on a quiet farm in Devon and, by his own admission, before transferring his stories to paper, he tells them to their horses and dogs. Indeed, in most of his books, animals play a very important role. Making them the heroes of his adventure works, the author talks about the defenseless beauty and fragility of the world, its dependence on human participation and compassion. With each of his stories, Michael Morpurgo argues that true humanity rests on two pillars - mercy and fortitude. This humanistic message permeates all the writer’s books, continuing the traditions of great English literature established by Dickens and Kipling. Before the war began, Joe Lalande's entire world was limited to his native mountain village in the north of France, in the commune of Lesquins. But even in this small world, like a drop of water, was reflected the monstrous catastrophe that covered the whole world. Joe's father went to the front, and the happy pastoral life ended, although outwardly it remained almost unchanged. Joe still drove the sheep out to pasture every morning and tended the flock with the help of his faithful Rufus, a huge Pyrenees shepherd. But one day the boy met a mysterious stranger in the forest. Benjamin helped smuggle Jews across the border to Spain, and he himself was hiding in Lesken from the Nazis, waiting for his daughter Anya... The novel was based on real events during the Second World War, and we will be able to see their embodiment on the big screen - the drama of the same name was released in early 2020. Among the leading actors are the well-known Jean Reno and the rising American star Noah Schnapp..