Air Miles

by John Burningham, Bill Salaman, Helen Oxenbury (Illustrator)

Overview

A poignant exploration of love, loss, and possibility, inspired by the last story idea from the legendary John Burningham.

Miles was a difficult dog until he got his own motor car. But now he is growing older, and new challenges are arising. He doesn’t chase balls like he used to. His legs hurt whenever he takes walks. And sometimes he doesn’t hear when Norman calls him. So when Norman learns that Mr. Huddy’s small airplane is in need of a pilot, Miles takes to the skies. In a deeply moving, ultimately uplifting picture book, the star of Motor Miles returns in a story that will resonate with readers who know what it’s like to say goodbye to someone they love. Based on an idea by incomparable picture-book creator John Burningham, the text for Air Miles was completed by his longtime friend Bill Salaman and lovingly illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, John Burningham’s wife.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536223347
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	06/07/2022
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

John Burningham (1936–2019) is one of the world’s most recognized and beloved illustrators. He received two Kate Greenaway Medals and countless other awards, including a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor for It’s a Secret! Over his fifty-year career, John Burningham wrote and illustrated more than thirty picture books, including Motor Miles, Mouse House, and The Way to the Zoo, and also illustrated the work of other authors, such as Kenneth Grahame and Ian Fleming. A groundbreaking and original storyteller and artist, his books have sold more than 1.5 million copies around the world.

Bill Salaman has enjoyed a varied career as a professional musician, school teacher, university lecturer, inspector of schools, author, and composer. He has also enjoyed a lifelong friendship with Helen Oxenbury and her husband, John Burningham, rejoicing in their remarkable successes over the decades. He now lives in Cambridge, England.

Helen Oxenbury is a two-time winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal and the 2015 Carle Artist Honoree. She is a celebrated illustrator of many well-loved books, including Charley’s First Night and When Charley Met Grampa, both by Amy Hest, Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen, and There’s Going to Be a Baby by her husband, John Burningham. Helen Oxenbury lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

Salaman wrote the clear, concise text based on a story idea that Burningham, who died in 2019, had discussed with him. Oxenbury, Burningham’s wife, created the beautiful illustrations in pencil, watercolor, and gouache. Her line drawings sensitively convey the characters’ emotions while the spare text leaves room for viewers to interpret events. A moving picture book.
—Booklist

Left barely begun at his death, Burningham’s second tribute to a beloved Jack Russell terrier is expanded from notes and sketches (the latter smoothly interspersed with Oxenbury’s more finished but equally spare and softly textured watercolors) into a poignant remembrance of the author. . . Goodbye, Mr. Burningham. Thank you for one last grand and memorable flight.
—Kirkus Reviews

Beautiful watercolor and pen illustrations bring Miles and his family to life. . . The text is concise in a way that says more than enough with just the right words, spreading a feeling of peacefulness on every page. . . A breathtaking story about the love and loss of a beloved dog.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

From the Publisher

★ 07/22/2022

PreS-Gr 2—Time has passed since Miles the dog learned to drive a car in Motor Miles, and now this beloved dog is not able to walk as fast and doesn't always hear when he is called by his boy Norman or Norman's mother, Alice. When Alice suggests asking their neighbor Mr. Huddy for help finding something exciting for Miles, Mr. Huddy has something far bigger than a car this time—an airplane! Miles gets right in and begins to fly—over lakes and hills and into clouds and under the dark night sky. Soon Miles begins to lose interest in walks and food. When Miles sets off to board his airplane, Norman follows and helps him on, knowing that this is goodbye. Beautiful watercolor and pen illustrations bring Miles and his family to life, depicting Miles's inquisitive expression and warm eyes, while also depicting a tiredness that comes with age. The text is concise in a way that says more than enough with just the right words, spreading a feeling of peacefulness on every page. The love Norman and Alice have for Miles flows through the pages as they try to find a way to fill Miles's life with happiness and excitement, even as they ready themselves to let him fly away. VERDICT A breathtaking story about the love and loss of a beloved dog, highly recommended for all picture book collections.—Selenia Paz

School Library Journal

2022-03-30
The small dog who learned to drive a car in Motor Miles (2016) takes to the skies.

Left barely begun at his death, Burningham’s second tribute to a beloved Jack Russell terrier is expanded from notes and sketches (the latter smoothly interspersed with Oxenbury’s more finished but equally spare and softly textured watercolors) into a poignant remembrance of the author. Looking for a way to cheer up his aging, droopy canine companion, young Norman Trudge again turns to local handyman Mr. Huddy—who, this time, wheels out an airplane just the right size for a small pilot with paws. Off goes Miles, soaring over fields and towns, by day and night, into and out of clouds. But a day comes at last when Norman helps him into the cockpit one last time and watches as he flies up into the misty sky and away. The narrative, also spare and freighted with feeling, ends with a tender farewell: “Goodbye, Miles.” Norman, his mother, and Mr. Huddy are all light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Goodbye, Mr. Burningham. Thank you for one last grand and memorable flight. (Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews