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Borka; Cloudland; Courtney; Oi! Get off our Train; Simp; Time to get out of the bath, Shirley; Would you rather…

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BfK No. 117 - July 1999

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

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Borka

John Burningham
(Red Fox)
32pp, 978-0099400677, RRP £6.99, Paperback
Under 5s Pre-School/Nursery/Infant
Buy "Borka: The Adventures Of A Goose With No Feathers" on Amazon

Cloudland

John Burningham
(Red Fox)
48pp, 978-0099711612, RRP £8.99, Paperback
Under 5s Pre-School/Nursery/Infant
Buy "Cloudland (Red Fox Picture Books)" on Amazon

Courtney

John Burningham
(Red Fox)
32pp, 978-0099666813, RRP £7.99, Paperback
Under 5s Pre-School/Nursery/Infant
Buy "Courtney (Red Fox Picture Books)" on Amazon

Oi! Get off our Train

John Burningham
(Red Fox)
48pp, 978-0099853404, RRP £7.99, Paperback
Under 5s Pre-School/Nursery/Infant
Buy "Oi! Get Off Our Train (Red Fox Picture Books)" on Amazon

Simp

John Burningham
(Red Fox)
32pp, 978-0099400776, RRP £7.99, Paperback
Under 5s Pre-School/Nursery/Infant
Buy "Simp" on Amazon

Time to get out of the bath, Shirley

John Burningham
(Red Fox)
32pp, 978-0099200512, RRP £6.99, Paperback
Under 5s Pre-School/Nursery/Infant
Buy "Time To Get Out Of The Bath, Shirley (Red Fox Picture Books)" on Amazon

Would you rather…

John Burningham
(Red Fox)
32pp, 978-0099200413, RRP £7.99, Paperback
Under 5s Pre-School/Nursery/Infant
Buy "Would You Rather? (Red Fox Picture Books)" on Amazon

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.

Reviewer: 
Annabel Gibb
5
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