Hen, Duck and Goose decide to go on a picnic together on a day perfect for an outing. Each picks a favorite food to bring. Hen chooses berries, while Duck picks pears. Goose puts apples into the picnic basket. Singing "We're going on a picnic," they begin the search for a perfect picnic spot. One place is too shady, the second too windy, and another too hot. The most observant young children will immediately notice in Hutchins's brightly colored pictures what the three picnickers completely miss. An uninvited "guest," such as a field mouse, squirrel or rabbit, helps itself to part of their treat each time the basket is set briefly on the ground. In addition to honing their powers of observation, small children will also enjoy the cumulative nature of the narrative, a technique at which Hutchins has excelled since her classic Rosie's Walk was published in the United States. in 1968 . (Ages 2-4)