We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past [Hardcover]

Jacqueline Woodson (Author), Diane Greenseid (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

A young girl describes her various relatives and the foods they bring to the annual family picnic.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Novelist Woodson (I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This) turns to a tale for the younger set with this bouncy story about an annual family picnic. Teeka, the young narrator, accompanies her grandma to the park with a basket of fried chicken and biscuits. Soon her best friend Paulette and various family members arrive, bearing bowls and bags of home-cooked food and desserts. Each is introduced through Teeka's eyes: Reverend Luke, who wields a Bible, "can eat like the devil?strange, since he's such a holy man" and "Moon Pie is really Joseph, but don't he look just like a Moon Pie??came empty-handed, too." But where is Cousin Martha and her infamous, dried-out apple pie? Everyone chows down, and when Martha finally does show up?with a store-bought cake ("No time to bake")?Grandma greets her with a little white lie: "Oh, but Cousin Martha, all year long, I've been thinking about your pie." The snippets of dialogue help keep this story lively, but it's Greenseid's (When Aunt Lena Did the Rhumba) effervescent illustrations, done in candy-bright acrylics, that inject the pizzazz. One hilarious spread shows Auntie Sadie's shocked face when she finds her corn cobs covered with flies (plastic flies, contributed by naughty Cousin Terrance, whom readers see fleeing his parents in the background). In another, roly-poly Moon Pie literally spills across the spread. Readers will enjoy the gentle fun poked at family gatherings here. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3AReaders join Teeka's sprawling urban African-American family for their annual picnic in the park and experience an event so joyous and loving that they'll feel they were there. Electrified, rhythmic language catches one's attention from the first phrase: "Grandma wore her blue dress with all those flowers on it. Brought biscuits and chicken and me." One by one, readers meet the folks who gather and are captured by Teeka's sharp eye and tongue: "Uncle Luther set a loaf of cinnamon bread in the center of things. Grandma, smiling, just as proud, said 'Can't my boy bake himself some bread!'" The observations are loosely bound together by the family's collective suspense about whether Aunt Martha will arrive with her traditionally dried-out apple piesAand by all the other food that arrives at the party. Every vividly hued page reveals a new family member and some small, familiar interaction. The acrylic illustrations on double-page spreads are so energetic that they nearly leap off the pages. Faces reveal warmth and humor. The text, in felt-tip pen and backed by a contrasting border, adds to the casual, open feel of the book. This title will be a great companion to Cynthia Rylant's The Relatives Came (S & S, 1985). This picnic is a grand event for group read-alouds and competent independent readers.ACarolyn Noah, Central Mass. Regional Library System, Worcester, MA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (January 1, 1900)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786802421
• ISBN-13: 978-0786802425
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,933,169 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jacqueline Woodson's awards include 3 Newbery Honors, a Coretta Scott King Award and 3 Coretta Scott King Honors, 2 National Book Awards, a Margaret A. Edwards Award and an ALAN Award -- both for Lifetime Achievement in YA Literature. She is the author of more than 2 dozen books for children and young adults and lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past, January 13, 2001

By 

Horace L. Wynn (Georgetown, Kentucky USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past (Hardcover)

We have 2 small children & this book is one of their favorites!! The pictures are bright & very eye catching & the story itself keeps you waiting for who will walk up next. My daughters 3rd grade class enjoyed all the characters. It reminds me of my family all the good food & times that we all share when we are together.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book!, March 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past (Hardcover)

This book was just a joy to read to my two young children. The illustrations are so lively and colorful. The characters remind me of my own family. Everyone should read it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past, August 23, 2007

By 

Jenna Lynn "teacher" (RI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past (Paperback)

Great way to teach use of context clues in the classroom as well as illustrations supporting words/details. Woodson captures the themes of family and tradition.