When Mr Filkins sets off for his 90th birthday party he has no idea how eventful the journey will be. Crossing the desert to visit his family, armed only with a picnic, a walking stick and an umbrella, Mr Filkins faces (and hides from) many remarkable dangers. Luckily he has in his backpack something quite ordinary that turns out to have extraordinary powers. With this characteristically beautiful new story, celebrated author and illustrator Quentin Blake shows us, with the wisdom born of a lifetime observing human and other creatures, that small acts of kindness are the stuff of life.