Review by Booklist Review
It's almost impossible not to say ahhh at the end of this book about a simple family picnic in the country. The only technology that appears in it is one digital camera; otherwise, it's lovely stuff like a yo-yo, a deck of cards, a couple books, bathing suits, hiking boots, bug spray, and a packed lunch. A family of six (a mom, a dad, two boys, and two girls) and their dog makes an impromptu picnic and drives into the country. They don hiking boots (the teen girl pouts about handing over her pink ballet flats one of the many comical touches) and take a walk into the forest. They swim in the river, build a little dam, float a boat made out of twigs and leaves, and then they eat, rest on the bank, read, play cards, and relax. Pretty novel, huh? The gentle rhyming text is simple and approachable (Let's share the fins and goggles, look for treasure in the sand), and the vibrantly shaded cartoon illustrations help carry the reader through this welcome, idyllic journey.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In an age of technology overload, debut talents Longstreth and Wicks remind readers of the things that matter: family outings, the vitamin D that comes from time spent outdoors, and the memories that accompany such excursions. A family of seven-two parents, four kids, and a large and rambunctious dog-wake up early one morning, pack up the station wagon, and head out for a day in the woods: "Let's hike the trail, hop the stream,/ and duck the fallen logs./ Let's go this way,/ we've got all day-/ someone call the dog." Despite the back-to-basics fun-swimming, picnic lunches, card games, and "milkshakes all around" on the way home-technology isn't forbidden. The family's digital camera "clicks" in several scenes, and the family poses twice for group pictures: once while they're still fresh-faced, and again just before they leave, scuffed up and exhausted. Wicks's clean-lined cartooning greatly expands on Longstreth's understated but evocative verse, filling the pages with visual mini-narratives, dashes of humor, and details to pore over, all while capturing the cheerful chaos of a big, happy family. Ages 3-8. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
A casually pleasant rhyming text narrates a family's day hike in the woods, from the chaotic early-morning start with four kids and a dog to an exhausted but happy return home. The adventure is illustrated with appropriately busy art including many humorous asides, such as a parent-child argument over hiking boots versus pink shoes and the resultant sullen teen in the pre-hike snapshot. (c) Copyright 2014. 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
Tag along on a family's hiking trip as they enjoy (mostly) the great outdoors and (almost always) each other. Longstreth and Wicks have created an Everyfamily that most readers will be able to identify with, even if they have never been on a family hike. The language helps: Every sentence, save the final one, starts with "Let's," bringing readers into the adventure. Early one morning, four children tiptoe in to wake their parents (and dog) for a day of hiking through the woods to the river. As in reality, not everything goes perfectly; what matters are the interactions, and there are plenty as the family members enjoy swimming, playing games, building boats and dams, exploring, having lunch and pursuing their own interests. While the rhymes don't always work ("cards" with "far"), Wicks' illustrations are standouts. She captures the family's every thought and feeling, from the teenage girl's defiance over exchanging her pink flats for hiking boots to the mother's horror at her youngest son's hands at lunchtime. (The oddly applied noses may distract some, though.) The kids are nicely individuated: The oldest boy has his ever-present yo-yo, the youngest one is always losing or dropping something. But best of all are the small details. Not only are there endpaper checklists of animals, hiking gear and groceries to find, but very observant readers will notice a whole other subplot going on in the illustrations. Ready the backpacks--this is sure to inspire many a family. (Picture book. 3-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
