The Joy of Togetherness, and a Cheerful Drive Through a World Without Exclusion John Burningham freely blends a wide variety of textures and materials into each of his picture books—paint, crayon, rubber watercolor, pastel, charcoal, ink—all of these materials come alive in the world of his illustrations. Burningham is known as an author who takes a long time to conceive and complete each picture book, and when you look closely at his artwork, you can see that his distinctive style was built through years of careful practice. The 'Mr. Gumpy' series represents Burningham's early picture books, in which he began to develop his own unique style. The first book in the series, Mr. Gumpy's Outing, won the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1971. Mr. Gumpy's Motor Car, the second book following Outing, tells the story of Mr. Gumpy as he drives his red car, picking up children, a goat, a chicken, a cat, a calf, a rabbit, and a dog for a drive. The bright sunshine is soon covered by dark clouds, raindrops begin to fall, the road turns muddy, and the wheels start spinning helplessly, putting the car in danger. Just when someone needs to get out and push the car, instead of helping, everyone offers their own excuse one after another, and the car sinks deeper and deeper into the mud... Then the skies clear again, and near home, everyone splashes and plays in the water together, washing away the mud and refreshing both body and spirit—a delightful story of a drive. Sharing life's journey together—through both good times and bad—carries deep meaning as true companionship. Hidden within Mr. Gumpy's drive is a small story about life itself. Through this work, John Burningham humorously shows children who love vehicles just how much fun it can be when people and animals live together without discrimination. When someone needs to make the effort and sacrifice of pushing the car from behind, the flimsy excuses offered by the girl, the boy, the calf, the dog, and the cat feel remarkably familiar—just like the excuses we all make in our everyday lives. Even in situations that might make anyone else angry or frustrated, Mr. Gumpy remains calm and kind, his expression never changing. In the end, he simply says, "Come for a drive again another day." And so, today, Mr. Gumpy's home remains always open—free and full of warmth. The boundless, free-spirited world of children's imagination lives on forever in the works of John Burningham.