  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 04/15/2014 In this entertaining read-aloud, a cheerful family can’t seem to get through their picnic without problems. Who knew that squirrels and soccer balls could make a simple picnic so complicated? Mr. and Mrs. Simple teach their children that a picnic is when you pack food in a basket, spread out a blanket, and eat on the ground. But even with their preparedness, things seem to constantly go wrong. Just when the Simples are about to give up on their picnic, son Ben has a great idea that saves the day—free of ants and melted ice cream! Phillipps introduces the family via individual, smiling portraits and utilizes colorful paper cut-out illustrations and bold-faced exclamations to capture the characters’ dynamic chemistry and the kooky chaos that ensues. The underlying message comes through clearly beneath the high jinks: picnics are really about spending quality time with the people who matter most. - Copyright 2014 Booklist. School Library Journal - 05/01/2014 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 - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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