Picnic Hardcover - 2014

Media reviews

A picture-book master presents an engaging feast of a bedtime book. Just as Boy and Girl pack their picnic basket with everything they’ll need for a perfect luncheon, Burningham packs every part of his book’s design with details that contribute to its success.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Carefree sensibility and bucolic charm... 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.
—Booklist (starred review)

A beautifully simple story of a girl, a boy, a duck, a sheep, and a pig at play. ... 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. ... 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.
—School Library Journal

Displaying his signature sly humor, Burningham 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 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.
—Publishers Weekly

Lovely... Across airy pages filled with brightly accented drawings, the book follows a boy, a girl and a group of dapper animal friends on a lunchtime excursion to the countryside. With deceptive simplicity, the gentle story is full of age-appropriate satisfactions.
—The Wall Street Journal

Citations

• Booklist, 04/15/2014, Page 48
• Booklist Ed Choice Youth, 01/01/2015, Page 18
• Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks, 09/01/2014, Page 12
• Hornbook Guide to Children, 07/01/2014, Page 0
• Kirkus Reviews, 04/01/2014, Page 0
• New York Times Book Review, 07/13/2014, Page 16
• Publishers Weekly, 03/03/2014, Page 0
• School Library Journal, 04/01/2014, Page 114