John Burningham facts for kids

John Burningham (born April 27, 1936 – died January 4, 2019) was a famous English author and illustrator. He created many children's books, especially picture books for young readers. John lived in north London with his wife, Helen Oxenbury, who is also a well-known illustrator. Their last book together was There's Going to Be a New Baby, published in 2011. John wrote it, and Helen drew the pictures.

John Burningham won the important Kate Greenaway Medal twice, in 1963 and 1970. This award celebrates the best children's book illustrations in Britain. His first win was for his very first book, Borka: The Adventures of a Goose with No Feathers. This book was even chosen as one of the top ten Greenaway Medal winners in the award's first 50 years. His second winning book, Mr Gumpy's Outing (1970), is one of his most popular works. It also won the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award in the United States.

John was also a finalist for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2012 and 2014. This award is one of the highest honors for creators of children's books around the world.

John Burningham: Early Life and Education

John Burningham was born on April 27, 1936, in Farnham, Surrey, England. His parents were Charles and Jessie Burningham. He went to a special alternative school called Summerhill. This school had a very different way of teaching.

In 1964, John dedicated his book John Burningham's ABC to A. S. Neill, who was the founder and headteacher of Summerhill. John once joked to Neill, "I managed to pick up the alphabet upon leaving Summerhill." When it was time for him to join the National Service (like military service), he chose not to. Instead, he worked on forestry and housing projects as a conscientious objector.

At age 20, John went to the Central School of Art. He finished his studies there in 1959.

A Career in Children's Books

After art school, John worked on posters for London Transport and made animated films. In 1963, he published his first book, Borka: The Adventures of a Goose With No Feathers. He both wrote and illustrated this picture book. For Borka, he won his first Kate Greenaway Medal. This award is given by the Library Association for the best children's book illustrations by a British artist.

Soon after, a publisher named Jonathan Cape was looking for someone to illustrate a new children's adventure story. It was called Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang and was written by Ian Fleming, who was very famous for his James Bond stories. Fleming had a sketch of the magical car from his friend, an engineer named Charles Amherst Villiers. This drawing was given to John Burningham. Because of his amazing first book, Borka, John was asked to illustrate the whole Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang series.

The Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang books were first published in three parts between 1964 and 1965. A single book with all the stories came out in 1968. John's clever and timeless artwork, combined with Fleming's exciting story, helped make Chitty the most famous car in English children's books.

In 1964, John married Helen Oxenbury, who is also a talented author and illustrator. Helen won the Greenaway Medal in 1969. The very next year, John won his second Greenaway Medal for Mr Gumpy's Outing (1970). He was the first illustrator to win the award twice! Helen later won her second Medal for her illustrations in Alice in Wonderland (1999).

Award-Winning Stories

John Burningham created more than 60 books during his career. He received many awards for his work. In 1980, he won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (German Youth Literature Prize) for his picture book Was ist dir lieber ... This was the German version of his book Would you rather ... (1978). This book asks funny questions like, "Would you rather eat spider stew or slug dumplings or mashed worms?"

For both writing and illustrating Granpa (1984), John won the "Emil" award. This award recognized children's books where the words and pictures worked perfectly together. Granpa was even made into an animated film in 1989.

In 2012, John Burningham was one of five finalists for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration. This award honors an illustrator whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children's literature. The judges said that John's work used "delicate irony mixed with innocence." They also noted how his use of lines and colors created a special connection with the reader.

Later Life and Legacy

John Burningham passed away in London on January 4, 2019. He was 82 years old and had pneumonia. His books continue to be loved by children and families around the world.

Selected Works

John Burningham usually wrote and illustrated his own books. Here are some of his most famous works:

• Borka: The Adventures of a Goose with No Feathers (1963)
• ABC (1964); also known as John Burningham's ABC
• Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car by Ian Fleming (three volumes, 1964–1965)
• The Extraordinary Tug-of-war retold by Letta Schatz (1968)
• Seasons (1969)
• Mr Gumpy's Outing (1970)
• Around the World in Eighty Days (1972)
• Mr Gumpy's Motor Car (1973)
• Come away from the water, Shirley (1977)
• Time to get out of the bath, Shirley (1978)
• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (1983)—a special edition of the classic 1908 story
• Granpa (1984)
• There's going to be a new baby (2011), illustrated by Helen Oxenbury—their first book together