Review by Booklist Review
Ages 3-6. Hen, Duck, and Goose gather their favorite fruits and set off on a sunny day to have a picnic. Like three feathered Goldilockses, they have trouble settling on a spot: one place is too hot, another too windy, and so on. But mysteriously, their basket lightens as they walk. The birds never learn what's happened to their lunch, but readers are in on the joke from the beginning; it's all explained in the appealingly bright, clean-lined drawings. The repetitive text builds suspense at just the right place to keep children giggling as they wait for the picnickers to discover the surprise. The visual detail is crucial to the story, so this will work best for small groups of children who can crowd up close. Another winning effort from a veteran author. --Gillian Engberg
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
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.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In this sweet, simple tale, birdbrains Hen, Duck, and Goose intend to enjoy a picnic but are so busy searching for the perfect spot that they donÆt notice the hungry animals taking up residence in their fruit-filled picnic basket. Preschoolers will love staying one step ahead of the protagonists, and the garden-hued illustrations are a fitting counterpoint to the anarchic scenario. From HORN BOOK Fall 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
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)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
