What Game Shall We Play?

by Pat Hutchins, Pat Hutchins (Illustrator)

Overview

Duck, Frog, and their friends, stars of the classic The Surprise Party, return in this story of a double game of hide-and-seek.

"Illustrations are as crisp, decorative, and full of appeal as ever." — Kirkus Reviews. "Likely to become a perennial story-time favorite." — School Library Journal.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780688135737
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/29/1995
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 9.88(h) x 0.00(d)
Lexile:	410L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Pat Hutchins, one of seven children, was born in Yorkshire, England, and grew up in the surrounding countryside, which she still loves. At a very early age she knew that she wanted to be an artist and was encouraged by an elderly couple who would give her a chocolate bar for each picture she drew. A local art school offered her a scholarship and she studied there for three years, continuing her training at Leeds College of Art, where she specialized in illustration. Her career in the children's book field began with the highly acclaimed Rosie's Walk, a 1968 ALA Notable Book. Since then she has written five novels and created more than twenty-five picture books. She was awarded England's prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal in 1974 for The Wind Blew. Pat Hutchins lives with her husband in London, England.

Pat Hutchins, one of seven children, was born in Yorkshire, England, and grew up in the surrounding countryside, which she still loves. At a very early age she knew that she wanted to be an artist and was encouraged by an elderly couple who would give her a chocolate bar for each picture she drew. A local art school offered her a scholarship and she studied there for three years, continuing her training at Leeds College of Art, where she specialized in illustration. Her career in the children's book field began with the highly acclaimed Rosie's Walk, a 1968 ALA Notable Book. Since then she has written five novels and created more than twenty-five picture books. She was awarded England's prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal in 1974 for The Wind Blew. Pat Hutchins lives with her husband in London, England.

Editorial Reviews

Three friends negotiate about what to play in this lively picture book. Lily May keeps saying, "Let's play fairies," but Matt and Martha overrule her. First, they play trees, reaching for the sky. Then cars—fast, bumpy and new—beeping in a traffic jam. Then cats, followed by "wibbly-wobbly Jell-O." Finally, Lily May prevails and the other two succumb to the magic of being fairies. Childlike mixed-media illustrations convey the pleasures of imaginative play.

Kathleen Odean

In a delightful reunion of the seven animal friends from Surprise Party (Macmillan, 1986), Hutchins again creates a satisfying tale of anticipation. Frog and Duck want to play but can't think of a game, so they search for Fox to ask for help, and so it goes until the animals seek Owl's advice. In their childlike naivete, they don't realize that Owl has been watching them the whole time, and when he suggests a game of ``Hide and Seek,'' they enthusiastically agree. A simple enough text is made appropriately complicated by the accompanying illustrations. Children will love joining the search for each subsequent animal friend, the tail of which peeks tantalizingly from the corner of the page where the animals are looking. The cumulative and circular design of the text--the last animal found always finds the next one--also gives children reassuring clues to the location of the next animal being sought. The illustrations, although similar to those in Surprise Party , are in fact quite different. This new book is cleaner and crisper, enhanced by the bold black outline on the pictures and splashes of bright blues and purples among the familiar greens, yellows, and browns. Hutchins' skillful use of perspective and line gives the drawings new depth, making her creatures more animated and whimsical, losing the static, flat woodcut quality of her earlier animals. A book that's likely to become a perennial storytime favorite for preschoolers, and fledgling readers will enjoy the large type and limited vocabulary. --Dorothy Houlihan, White Plains Public Library, NY

School Library Journal