Borka; Cloudland; Courtney; Oi! Get off our Train; Simp; Time to get out of the bath, Shirley; Would you rather…
Digital version – browse, print or download
Can't see the preview?
Click here!
How to print the digital edition of Books for Keeps: click on this PDF file link - click on the printer icon in the top right of the screen to print.
BfK Newsletter
Receive the latest news & reviews direct to your inbox!
Cover Story
This issue’s cover is from J K Rowling's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third book in what is already a classic new series. The first two titles were Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Thanks to Bloomsbury Children’s Books for their help. Cover image based on original artwork by Cliff Wright
PDF
Printer-friendly version
Send to friend
Borka
Cloudland
Courtney
Oi! Get off our Train
Simp
Time to get out of the bath, Shirley
Would you rather…
A welcome reissue by Red Fox of a selection of Burningham’s works from Kate Greenaway Medal winner Borka (1963) to Cloudland (1996).
The dominant theme in these picture books is of the child alone – cast out like Borka or Simp to find a new home and a place in the world, or reaching out to fantasy as a relief from mundane adult routine. Oi! Get off our Train adds the issue of endangered species to the child’s fantasy.
Burninghams’s illustrative style includes the use of a wide range of media, often tied together by his characteristic sketchy line-drawn people. Some of his paintings seem unbelievably rich to be found in a picture book, and his inventiveness seems unlimited. His texts are less sure-footed, as might be expected from one who is primarily an artist, and can indeed be heavy-handed. However, lucky the child who has the opportunity to meet his idiosyncratic and often elusive works.
