We're Going on a Picnic!

Hutchins, Pat

ISBN 10: 0688168000 ISBN 13: 9780688168001

Publisher: Greenwillow, 2002

Synopsis

While Hen, Duck, and Goose set out with their baskets to find just the perfect spot to set up their picnic, they are not watchful of the other animals who are interested in their tasty treats. Jr Lib Guild.

About this title

About the Author

"I tend to see the funny side of things," says Pat Hutchins. Whether it's the light, subtle humor of her first picture book, Rosie's Walk, or the slapstick comedy of Rats!, her special gift of humor is reflected in both words and pictures.

Pat Hutchins was born in Yorkshire, England, one of seven children, and grew up in the countryside of Yorkshire, which she still loves. At a very early age she knew that she wanted to be an artist.

She was encouraged by an elderly couple, who would give her a chocolate bar for each picture she drew. A local art school gave 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 picture books. She was awarded England's prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal in 1974 for The Wind Blew.

She says she tries "to write about what children say and do," and she believes in very simple picture books for the youngest child. But her simple texts and wonderfully vivid pictures manage to convey the most complex emotions. She also has the rare ability to use such basic concepts as time, growth, and change to create imaginative, satisfying books for children. Her ideas come from a variety of sources: listening to her children and their friends, or sometimes from real situations. The idea for The Very Worst Monster came to her when her niece told her she wanted to give her baby brother away. Ms. Hutchins tempered the theme of sibling rivalry by using soft watercolors to make the monster family more lovable. The result is a delightfully wicked monster family that children will wish lived next door.

Pat Hutchins lives in London with her husband, Laurence, also an artist. They have two sons, Morgan and Sam.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-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 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Greenwillow
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0688168000
• ISBN 13: 9780688168001
• Binding: Library Binding
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Hutchins Pat