Mr Gumpy’s Rhino
August 4, 2023
Mr Gumpy is off on an adventure! This time he’s rescuing a rhino who’s lost its parents, but growing a rhinos needs lots of food…
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Decorative coloured block print of 6 geese. This was printed by JB in a variety of colourways
2023 is the 60th Anniversary of Borka: The Adventures of a Goose with No Feathers, John Burningham’s first picture book. John had the idea for a story about a goose called Borka and roughed it out until it was shown to Tom Maschler, the publisher of Jonathan Cape. It went on to win the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal for Illustration.
But Borka isn’t the only goose in the world of John Burningham. Undoubtedly his dogged loyalty to Claw Claw his favourite childhood toy goose, inspired his frequent return to the subject and when a character was needed for an illustration it would often be a goose that turned up.
…Gander
…wander
…wonder?
After leaving art school John was commissioned by London Transport and Royal Blue coach company to illustrate posters like this one. The first poster earned him £100 which was a lot of money at the time and was printed in 12 colours. In these early lithograph printing technique, the colours had to be separated by hand using layers of film.
Claw Claws - John’s one surviving toy from childhood. As a child he would not be parted from Claw Claws. In many ways, Borka resembles this favourite toy.
Borka finally finds a home in Kew Gardens and meets a goose called Ferdinand after Captain MacAllister lifts her gently over the railings of the park and promises to come and visit often.
Before Borka was published in 1963, Borka-like geese appeared in his work including his posters from 1961 of Zoo Ahoy advertising London Zoo and the poster for London Transport Country Walks of the farmer with the broken cart and the poster of the family picnicking and punting on the river.
Avocado Baby was born in 1982, against the backdrop of war in the Falkland Islands and the release of E.T. and Richard Attenborough’s ‘Ghandi’. Already the author and illustrator of 23 published books, nevertheless Avocado Baby was a special book for Burningham. It is based on his youngest daughter Emily who wasn’t a sickly baby but had a difficulty with eczema. She had a passion for avocado pears which the family believed helped her. As John said, ‘She was, and still is, quite physically strong, as is the baby in the story.’
is for King and Q q is for Queen. Illustrations from John Burningham’s ABC, shown here hanging together at Freedom to Create, a celebratory exhibition of artworks from alumni who were at A.S. Neill’s Summerhill School, 1930’s to 1990’s. The exhibition ran from August 31- September 6 at University College London
‘Recently my four year old son was given one of your books for his birthday. It was called the Dog by John Burningham. On looking at the book we were absolutely disgusted at the contents of page 12 and 13. What a thing to put in a child’s book!’
John felt blessed to be still working into his 80’s. His contemporary and fellow illustrator John Lawrence comment’s “John always had a job on.” While other illustrators often had fallow periods he published new work continuously through the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s right through to the late 2010’s
It started with AS Neill at Summerhill, since then his friends called him Brum
Mr Gumpy is off on an adventure! This time he’s rescuing a rhino who’s lost its parents, but growing a rhinos needs lots of food…
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In Sylvie’s bedroom wall she spots a door …and beyond that door she finds a passage… and beyond the passage she discovers… the zoo!
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Borka - The Adventures of a Goose with no Feathers
John had the idea for his first picture book Borka, The Adventures of a Goose with No Feathers for a while before he showed it to Tom Maschler, the publisher of Jonathan Cape who decided to publish it. Borka was partly inspired by his beloved childhood toy Claw Claws, The marsh landscape of the book was based on the marshes of East Anglia where Helen Oxenbury had lived as a child and that John knew well from his time at Summerhill School. Borka went on to win the prestigious Kate Greenaway Award in 1963 and 2023 will be Borka’s 60th anniversary.
John had the idea for his first picture book Borka, The Adventures of a Goose with No Feathers for a while before he showed it to Tom Maschler, the publisher of Jonathan Cape who decided to publish it. Borka was partly inspired by his beloved childhood toy Claw Claws.
Borka went on to win the prestigious Kate Greenaway Award in 1963 and 2023 will be Borka’s 60th anniversary.
“I’m very honoured to have a book that was dedicated and written about me. I particularly love the end papers and often with my own children, we look and try and count the little babies. That and the avocado plant takes me right back and reminds me very much of Dad and the times that we would read stories together.”
When is the baby coming? What will we call it? What will the baby do? We don’t really need the baby, do we? Exquisitely illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
In the family home live Mum, Dad, a girl and a boy. But they are not alone; a secret mouse family is living there too, who only come out when everyone else is asleep.
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Also on display in the John Burningham – An illustrated life at Burgh House was John’s model of the car from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. “He made the model to take photographs so he could get the movement properly. In his memoir he describes sitting at the kitchen table using whisks as propellers. He was nervous about presenting his drawings to Fleming, who was notoriously exacting.”
Also on display in the John Burningham – An illustrated life at Burgh House was John’s model of the car from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. “He made the model to take photographs so he could get the movement properly. In his memoir he describes sitting at the kitchen table using whisks as propellers. He was nervous about presenting his drawings to Fleming, who was notoriously exacting.”
“While I was in Tel Aviv, Helen came out and was employed by Habima, the national theatre of Israel as a set designer. We used to travel around the country on my Lambretta. Once we went to the Red Sea, long before it was developed into the huge resort it is today. In those days there were a couple of fishing huts on the beach.”
Publishing enquiries: Clare Conville, Conville Walsh
Exhibition and artwork enquiries: Selina Skipwith
Press, marketing, events and other enquiries: Philippa Perry
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