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Summary
Summary
The renowned John Burningham is in classic form with a simple story of a boy, a girl, and some animal friends that invites the child listener to join in.
One day, Boy and Girl head down the hill with a picnic basket and meet a fancily dressed Sheep, Pig, and Duck. They all set off to find the perfect place to sit outside -- until they see Bull coming! A short-lived chase segues into a gentle interactive text as the friends wend their way from an idyllic outdoor world to a welcoming house on a hill. (Can you find Pig's ball? Shall we find your bed?) In a charmingly understated tale with child-friendly illustrations and a hint of sly humor, John Burningham evokes a perfect summer day with a fresh new picture book.
Author Notes
John Burningham was born in Farnham, United Kingdom on April 27, 1936. After two and a half years of non-military service as a conscientious objector, he graduated from Central School of Art with distinction in 1959. Before becoming a children's author and illustrator, he made puppets for Yoram Gross's animation film Joseph the Dreamer and was commissioned to produce a number of posters for London Transport.
Burningham's first picture book, Borka: The Adventures of a Goose with No Feathers, was published in 1963 and won the Kate Greenaway Medal. His other books included Humbert, Avocado Baby, Oi! Get Off Our Train, Courtney, Harvey Slumfenburger's Christmas Present, Come Away from the Water, Shirley, England, Cloudland, France, and There's Going to Be a Baby written with his wife and fellow illustrator Helen Oxenbury. He also illustrated Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 1964 and Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows in 1983. He received the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1970 for Mr. Gumpy's Outing, the Kurt Maschler award in 1984 for Granpa, and the Booktrust lifetime achievement award in 2018 with Oxenbury. Burningham died on January 4, 2019 at the age of 82.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-A beautifully simple story of a girl, a boy, a duck, a sheep, and a pig at play. The human siblings live on top of a hill and set off one day for a picnic. At the bottom of the hill, Boy and Girl see their friends Duck, Sheep, and Pig and invite them along. An unexpected chase from a bull causes them to run into the woods. When it is safe to come out, they find the perfect spot for their picnic and frolic in the sun until it's time to head home. This lovely picture book is vintage Burningham and will appeal to the youngest of readers. The text is short and sweet with the illustrations providing the details. The large trim size and bright white pages make it great for sharing with preschoolers, allowing them to point out familiar sight words. Picnic has an interactive quality that encourages readers to find objects easily hidden in the pictures. Each painting is done in bold and bright colors that catch viewers' attention. Reminiscent of a simpler day, this book is a breath of fresh air-a time out of a busy schedule to enjoy the beauty of a picture book with a young child.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Displaying his signature sly humor, Burningham (Tug of War) follows a boy and girl (conveniently named Boy and Girl) as they try to find a place to picnic with friends Sheep, Pig, and Duck, who are dapperly accented with kerchiefs, hats, bowties, and other accessories. The five quickly hit a snag ("But they had not seen Bull"), and they race to the woods to hide from him. Burningham directly engages readers on multiple occasions through search-and-find questions, asking them to spot the would-be picnickers hiding behind trees and, subsequently, to find Sheep's hat, Pig's ball, and Duck's scarf. The items are easy to spy, tailoring the challenge to younger preschoolers, while pithy sentences and easy-to-grasp vocabulary will help beginning readers sound out the sentences. Vivid, springy greens and yellows, coupled with loose and exuberant black outlines, lend vibrancy and airiness to Burningham's paintings. As the day winds down and the weary cast retires for the night, a final question ("Shall we see if we can find your bed?") offers a pointed lead-in to readers' own bedtimes. Ages 2-5. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Before a boy and girl and their animal friends can enjoy their picnic, they first must hide from a charging bull and then find Sheep's hat, Pig's ball, and Duck's scarf. Occasional direct address ("Can you see it?") serves more to interrupt the flow than involve the listener. Burningham's signature scribbly, bold, colorful, and motion-filled drawings bolster a rather lackluster story. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Burningham returns with a book of the carefree sensibility and bucolic charm of classics like Mr. Gumpy's Outing (1970) and Mr. Gumpy's Motor Car (1976). Boy and Girl prepare a picnic lunch and set out to consume it. On the way, they meet Sheep, Pig, and Duck and invite them along. As they search out the perfect picnic spot, each of the animal friends loses something (sheep loses a hat; pig, a ball; and duck, a scarf). Burningham hides each item (in relatively plain sight) and encourages the reader to find it. Crises averted, the five friends enjoy their meal and return home, where the animals are invited to spend the night (Who is sleeping in which bed?). Burningham's trademark sketchy insouciance, with broken black outlines and dappled marker coloring, establishes a playful, sunny tone that's perfect for a day in the spring-green countryside. The simple, jolly figures revel in spare, open vistas with plenty of space for listeners to accompany them, while the interactive hunt-and-seek game extends the fun for the story hour set. This one will find its way into the regular rotation in no time.--Barthelmess, Thom Copyright 2014 Booklist