We're Going on a Picnic!

by Pat Hutchins, Pat Hutchins (Illustrator)

Overview

It was a perfect day for a picnic. Hen picked the berries, Goose picked the apples, and Duck picked the pears. Then they set out for the picnic. But young viewers will quickly discover that Hen, Goose, and Duck are not the only ones who like berries, apples, and pears! And as the picnic basket gets lighter and lighter, they will be laughing harder and harder.

Since the publication of Rosie's Walk in 1968, Pat Hutchins's name has been a household word wherever there are young lookers and listeners.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780688167998
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/19/2002
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	164,845
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Pat Hutchins, one of seven children, was born in Yorkshire, England, and grew up in the surrounding countryside, which she still loves. At a very early age she knew that she wanted to be an artist and was encouraged by an elderly couple who would give her a chocolate bar for each picture she drew. A local art school offered her a scholarship and she studied there for three years, continuing her training at Leeds College of Art, where she specialized in illustration. Her career in the children's book field began with the highly acclaimed Rosie's Walk, a 1968 ALA Notable Book. Since then she has written five novels and created more than twenty-five picture books. She was awarded England's prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal in 1974 for The Wind Blew. Pat Hutchins lives with her husband in London, England.

Pat Hutchins, one of seven children, was born in Yorkshire, England, and grew up in the surrounding countryside, which she still loves. At a very early age she knew that she wanted to be an artist and was encouraged by an elderly couple who would give her a chocolate bar for each picture she drew. A local art school offered her a scholarship and she studied there for three years, continuing her training at Leeds College of Art, where she specialized in illustration. Her career in the children's book field began with the highly acclaimed Rosie's Walk, a 1968 ALA Notable Book. Since then she has written five novels and created more than twenty-five picture books. She was awarded England's prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal in 1974 for The Wind Blew. Pat Hutchins lives with her husband in London, England.

Editorial Reviews

Hutchins's (Changes, Changes) high-spirited caper follows Hen, Duck and Goose on a quest to find just the right spot for a picnic. After filling a basket with berries ("because Hen liked berries best"), apples ("because Goose liked apples best") and pears ("because Duck liked pears best"), the trio sets off, taking turns carrying the basket. What the three don't notice and what youngsters will delight in observing is that each time the feathered friends pause to switch, a critter climbs in and helps itself to the picnic fare. Concluding that the food has fallen out, the pals simply refill the basket; the audience will revel in knowing that the still-hungry culprits lurk nearby. Kitchen-bright illustrations outlined with a sure black line show the traveling, industrious trio, and they make hilarious unwitting straight men. With an understated humor infusing both narrative and pictures, Hutchins successfully pulls off the child-pleasing contrivance of letting readers in on the secret. Beginning readers especially will appreciate the brevity and ample repetition of the text. Ages 3-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

When Hen, Duck, and Goose go on a picnic, each packing the fruits they like best in the basket, they have trouble finding the right place to eat. They move up and down the hill, from one spot to another, happily singing along, until they find themselves back at home with an empty basket. Puzzled, they pick more fruit and set out again. Perceptive readers, however, have chuckled to themselves as they watched other critters sneakily enjoying the contents of the basket. They are ready to follow the oblivious crew again for another picnic. The characters are relatives of Hutchins's Rosie, who took her famous walk in 1968. Her pen and ink and felt-tipped marker colors may be brighter here, but Hutchins still interprets nature with large areas of flatly painted overlapping patterns for her active characters. The double pages are decoratively most appropriate for the very young, who also enjoy the repetitions of the text and the private joke. 2002, Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins Publishers,
— Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

Children's Literature

PreS-K-In her trademark, deceptively simple style, Hutchins has created yet another winning tale full of child appeal. Hen, Duck, and Goose decide to take advantage of the lovely weather and go for a picnic. Lurking at the edge of the field through which the trio sets out is a gray mouse. When Hen sets the basket down in the spot she favors, the mouse hops in. Duck objects to Hen's selection of a site and the group moves forward with the hungry mouse as hidden cargo in the basket. When Duck picks the next picnic area, out hops the mouse, but in hops a rascally squirrel. This scenario is repeated again with the squirrel being replaced by a rapacious rabbit. The trio's circular route brings them home again and they're mystified by their empty basket. After replenishing their supplies, the clueless threesome sallies forth once more with the wily rodents in tow and their second picnic in peril. The genius of the story is that the visual narrative depicts the thieving rodents' antics while the actual text gives not a clue as to what is happening to the contents of the basket. Children will giggle and enjoy a sense of superiority by knowing what the bumbling fowls do not. Bold, simply rendered illustrations colored by straightforward primary shades tell the story with wonderful clarity. A first-rate purchase.-Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

In Hutchins's (Ten Red Apples, 2000, etc.) latest, Hen, Duck, and Goose are going on a picnic. Hen brings berries; Goose packs apples; and Duck tucks pears into the teeming basket. Together, they set out to find the perfect place to dine. Yet every time they think they've found it, one of them finds a reason to move on. But not before they set down that basket. And each moment of indecision presents an opportunity for a mouse, a squirrel, and a rabbit to make off with the bounty. Before they know it, the hapless trio winds their way home without ever settling down to eat. When they set off in search of another spot, they realize how light the basket is. " ‘[The food] must have fallen out,' " they all agree. And so the cycle begins again. But this time, there's a twist: Hen, Duck, and Goose gather more food; they actually agree on a place to picnic; and three thieves-who once worked separately-have now teamed up. Lined in black, Hutchins's full-color marker illustrations stand out against the crisp white background. They are integral to the story, letting kids in on the action by introducing the thieving creatures whom Hutchins never mentions in the text. Hutchins's deceptively simple tale simply delights. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews