MR. GUMPY'S MOTOR CAR
illustrated by John Burningham
The second outing of our friend Mr. Gumpy (see KR, 1971) begins when the same company of two children and assorted farm animals piles into his red roadster, nearly breaks into a melee because everyone has a reason why he can't help push the car after it gets stuck in the mud, and ends amicably, as before, with a cooling swim. If the day's events are a virtual rerun the mood is fresh and expectant; with Gumpy's mild-faced companions, the portentous scratchboard landscapes and, especially, the sprucely cross-hatched motor car all offering plenty of inducement to go along for the ride.