ABSTRACT
The picture-book genre is a paradox. On the one hand it is seen as children’s literature’s one truly original contribution to literature in general, a ‘polyphonic’ form which absorbs and uses many codes, styles, and textual devices, and which frequently pushes at the borders of convention. On the other, it is seen as the province of the young child, and is therefore beneath serious critical notice. Taking
From Mr Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham. Copyright ©1971 John Burningham. Reprinted by permission of Jonathan Cape and Henry Holt and Co. Inc.
