The Simples Love a Picnic

PreS-K—The Simple family examines the word "picnic" in a very basic way that will have young ones chuckling. Because the audience is a partner to the joke, as soon as son Ben asks, "What is a picnic?" the mood is set for a funny jaunt outdoors. Phillipps adds to this humorous anticipation with her illustrations resembling flat paper-dolls cutouts with a collage of printed and striped-patterned clothing. Her uncomplicated facial features elicit smiles as an upturned half-circle of a grin quickly turns into a frown while family members lug the picnic gear out to the grass. A bold font introduces basic declarative sentences so that new readers can easily decipher the text with the picture clues. While the picnic falls apart at the end, the idea that a good time can be had anywhere is a genuinely pleasant sentiment.—Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA