Mr Gumpy’s Outing.

Next week, I have got best friends coming, hurrah!  They are staying with us, so I thought I had better start tidying up some of the hidden ‘mess’ that just comes with 2 children and functioning cupboard doors.

I did the kitchen cupboards, the draw with all the baking trays and cookie shapes, the arts & crafts cupboards (beyond messy) and finally, I got to my desk. Now of all things they might be opening,  I  know it is highly unlikely that they will actually look into the draws of my desk. But by now I was in full swing.

I pulled out the first draw and there, to my surprise I found a book, I had completely forgotten about. It was Mr.Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham. It was the copy my mum had bought for me many decades ago. It is a  first print, March 1974, and in remarkable good condition for a children’s book of that age.

So, yes you guessed correctly,  I closed the desk draws and while Barlie was snoozing, Bee and I sat down to read the book, twice, of course.

Mr Gumpy’s Outing is the only book in today’s review and this is how it goes:

Mr Gumpy lives in a house by the river. One summer’s day, he decides to go on a ride in his boat down the river. Just as he starts, some children ask if they can come along, too. Then every page you turn, somebody else asks to join the boat ride. There is a rabbit, a cat, a pig and many more who come aboard. Mr Gumpy welcomes everybody but he does ask them all to behave and keep still.

After a while, Mr Gumpy’s boat is full of little and not so little passengers. As you can imagine, in the end, the excitement gets too much, they can’t keep still any longer and the boat tips. They all swim ashore and go back home with Mr  Gumpy for tea.

The illustrations are delightful. Precise, full of expression and warmth, you feel the summer’s day. This book is a must-have, it has won many awards and I would happily give it another one. 2 years +

We have got a few more books that are about going on a trip or journey, coming shortly … see you then, tut tut, brmm brmm.