Mr Gumpy and Other Outings: Celebrating 50 years of John Burningham’s work

Sketch drawn while working in Glasgow for the International Voluntary Service for Peace. C 1954-6.

John applied for a place at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London to study graphic design and illustration. He got in on the strength of the sketches he had made in Glasgow. It was also where he met his wife, children’s illustrator Helen Oxenbury Photograph: John Burningham

Country Walks, poster for London Transport, 1961.

John’s first big break as an artist came when he was asked to design posters for London transport in the early 1960s. They were displayed on bus shelters and underground stations Photograph: John Burningham

Claw Claw, featured on the left, is John’s one surviving toy from childhood, and Borka the goose resembles Claw Claws in many ways. Borka, the story of the goose with no feathers, was published in 1963 and won that year's Kate Greenaway medal Photograph: John Burningham

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car, 1964, published by Jonathan Cape. Image from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming reproduced with permission from Ian Fleming Publications

Ian Fleming wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for his son Casper and it was published in 1964, the year Fleming died. John made a model of the car and hung it at different angles from his ceiling to look up at it while he was drawing Photograph: John Burningham

Mr Gumpy’s Outing, 1971, published by Jonathan Cape.

This book has a colour cross-hatching of each character on one side of each page spread, and a sepia illustration of the action on the other. The two are connected with minimal but thought-provoking words Photograph: John Burningham

John Patrick Norman McHennessy, 1987, published by Jonathan Cape.

John Patrick Norman McHennessy doesn’t have much luck getting to school on time, and his extremely strict teacher doesn’t believe his explanations. Children love the repetitive structure and John Patrick Norman McHennessy's imaginative excuses Photograph: John Burningham

Grandpa, 1984, published by Jonathan Cape.

Grandpa is made up of the funny conversations a little girl has with her grandfather. Much of the text is based on conversations John Burningham overheard his daughter having with her grandfather. Photograph: John Burningham

Cloudland, 1996, published by Jonathan Cape.

Albert falls from a cliff when out walking with his parents. Luckily, the cloud children catch him and look after him in their mystical kingdom in the sky. Burningham took photographs of clouds from the ground and from the air. He then added paint, ink and 'cut paper' drawings of the characters Photograph: John Burningham

Cannonball Simp, 1966, published by Jonathan Cape.

Simp is unwanted. Her owner dumps her near a rubbish pit and forgets all about her. Simp is based on John’s wife Helen’s dog, Lulu. When Helen was working in Israel she found Lulu abandoned in a stairwell. She brought her back to England by boat and car, and then Lulu had to be in quarantine for six months Photograph: John Burningham

Courtney, 1994, published by Jonathan Cape.

Burningham uses books such as Courtney to show how humans rely on their animal friends. His words, combined with landscape and expressive line drawings, allow the reader to become easily absorbed in the animal world Photograph: John Burningham