John Burningham's Bedtime Stories

Journey from first sketches to award-winning books in John Burningham’s Bedtime Stories.

Snuggle up this Autumn at the Harley Gallery with an exhibition showing the work of children’s author and illustrator John Burningham.

This name may be familiar from childhood classics like Borka: The Adventures of a Goose With No Feathers, Avocado Baby and as the illustrator of Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. From featherless geese to flying cars, this exhibition will give visitors the chance to reconnect with childhood favourites – or discover the ground-breaking work of John Burningham for the first time.

Original sketchbooks, models, and photographs will reveal John Burningham’s creative life and the impact he had on children’s literature. His witty stories and colourful illustrations pioneered a change in books for children: marking the start of a new creative era as parents moved away from the ‘goody goody’ novels of earlier times.

This exhibition has been organised in association with Selina Skipwith, an independent art advisor and curator.