John Burningham
John Burningham studied illustration and graphic design at the Central School of Art, graduating with distinction in 1959. Many illustration commissions followed, including iconic posters for London Transport, before the publication of Borka: the Adventures of a Goose with No Feathers, John’s first book for children. It won the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration and heralded the beginning of an extraordinary career spanning 50 years.
John Burningham has since written and illustrated over 30 picture books, which have been translated and distributed all over the world. These feature his classic and much-loved children’s books, including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming; Mr Gumpy’s Outing, also awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal; Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne; The Shopping Basket; The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame; Granpa, later made into an animated film; Oi! Get off our Train; and various books for adults.
John is married to the illustrator, Helen Oxenbury. They have three children, three grandchildren and a dog named Miles. They live in London.
Authored Books
Avocado Baby
Author: John Burningham
Publisher: Red Fox Picture Books
Mr and Mrs Hargreaves' new baby is the fussy kind and doesn't seem to want to eat anything. Until he eats avocadoes – and gets bigger and stronger than anyone could have guessed. Avocado Baby is a total joy, full of surreal, off-kilter humour.
Husherbye
Author: John Burningham
Publisher: Red Fox
This soft, shushed delight of a bedtime book is perfect for getting little ones to sleep. John Burningham’s lilting text has a rolling rhythm and gentle assonance that carries the listener into a dream while listening. Husherbye, everyone; husherbye.
There's Going to be a Baby
Author: John Burningham Illustrator: Helen Oxenbury
Publisher: Walker Books
A mother tells her little boy that ‘there’s going to be a baby’, but the little boy doesn’t like the sound of this – he doesn’t think they really need the new baby…
Would You Rather…
Author: John Burningham
Publisher: Red Fox
A classic for children, Would You Rather... presents an alternative to a traditional story by imagining a mixture of fantastical and real-life choices. It's great for building confidence with little ones about making their own choices for their own reasons.
Oi! Get Off Our Train
Author: John Burningham
Publisher: Red Fox
As a small boy drifts off to sleep he dreams that he is taking a journey around the world in his model train.
Whadayamean
Author: John Burningham
Publisher: Red Fox
John Burningham’s book was topical in 1999 when it was published, and remains so today. A call to action for children to persuade adults to make a better world, it’s a reminder that we are stewards of the earth and need to take care of it before it’s too late.
Come Away from the Water, Shirley
Author: John Burningham
Publisher: Red Fox
John Burningham’s simple yet sophisticated account of a trip to the seaside is both a masterly drawing of grumpy Mum and Dad and a vibrant depiction of Shirley’s magical inner world. Fantastic.
Mr Gumpy's Rhino
Author: John Burningham
Publisher: Puffin
Mr Gumpy is off on an another adventure, rescuing a rhino who has lost its parents. A gentle conversation starter about conservation and helping endangered and vulnerable animals, which is firstly a sweet story of kindness and animal-human friendship.
Granpa
Author: John Burningham
Publisher: Random House
A sensitive and moving exploration of the relationship between a young girl and her grandfather.
Borka
Author: John Burnigham
Publisher: Red Fox
Borka is a goose born without feathers and when she can't join the other geese in their flight South, she goes on her own adventure