Mr Gumpy's Outing

One fine morning Mr. Gumpy decides it's a perfect day for an outing in his little boat. Apparently, plenty of others think so, too. First some children ask to join him, then a rabbit, a cat, a dog, a pig, a sheep ... Soon, Mr. Gumpy's boat is precariously full, and there's nowhere for anyone else to go--but overboard! This mild mariner takes everything in stride, though, and his guests are soon bellying up to a nice tea.

John Burningham earned the Kate Greenaway Medal, an ALA Notable Children's Book award, and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Mr. Gumpy's Outing, and it's no wonder. This gifted and highly original author-illustrator creates a vision of glorious summer with deeply textured, sometimes only suggested, drawings. His tentatively questioning animals are ready to step right out of the pages and quietly join the delighted reader. And the simple, repetitive dialogue will lull the listener as long as it takes to reach the boat's maximum capacity. Even then, there's no big splash--just an understated, Burningham-esque "and into the water they fell." Young readers will never tire of this gentle, comforting storybook. (Ages 2 to 6) --Emilie Coulter

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Megan (3) Says... - Rated
I like this book because Granny always reads it to us. My Gumpy takes a lot of animals in a boat and they all fall in the water. I fell in the water a lot today because me and Jack went down my slide into the paddling pool. It was funny.

A Delightful Day Out. - Rated
"Mr Gumpy's Outing" is a book which I really enjoy reading to my daughter. The illustrations are delightful, with an almost expressionist quality far removed from the clip-art style of many children's illustrators. The lanuage is beautiful, too; a celebration of simplicity which makes the story easy to follow, yet holds the attention of both reader and listener. Without giving anything away, there is a long list of the books protagonists towards the end of the story which my daughter always intones with me in a wild crescendo. If you are looking for a lesson in the story, I suppose cause and effect are at its heart. As for Mr Gumpy, his unflappable patience could teach us all a thing or two. A lovely book.