Product Description

A favorite childhood song brought to life by one of America's favorite illustrators.

"If you go down to the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go down to the woods today
You'd better go in disguise;
For ev'ry Bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the Teddy Bears
Have their picnic."

The Teddy Bears' Picnic has been sung and loved by English speaking children throughout the world ever since it was written. The intrigue conjured up by the teddy bears picnicking independently of their owners continues to capture the imaginations of children everywhere.

Michael Hague's illustrations are simultaneously panoramic and detailed. Against the backdrop of country landscapes, lovable teddies of all shapes and descriptions picnic and play.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #445948 in Books
• Published on: 1997-03-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780805053494
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Hague has turned his considerable talents to the whimsical song written by Kennedy more than 40 years ago. The result, with its lavish, full-spread illustrations and large trim size, is almost a coffee-table book for children. In soft browns and ochres, Hague details the adventure of a boy who, disguised as a teddy bear, steals into the woods to spy on the bruins' picnic. As night falls, tiny animated mushrooms lift their heads; gnomes and fairies peep out from the tangle of roots, and even the gnarled old trees seem to come to life as the camouflaged bears peek from between the boughs. Given the lovely Teutonic gloom of this forest world, these goggle-eyed teddy bears may be a bit cutesy for some tastes. Nevertheless, the art goes a long way toward redeeming the text, to which time has not been kind. Kennedy's insubstantial lyrics are a jarring mixture of the sinister and the saccharine, as their thudding iambic tetrameter verses warn children to steer clear of the enchanted wood. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-- No surprises here. The ursine stars of this popular nonsense ditty provide plenty of opportunity for Hague to draw his favorite subjects. In a fairly literal interpretation of the lyrics, he shows lots of teddy bears, in various shapes, sizes, and degrees of cuteness, heading into an autumnal wood to cavort well beyond the watchful eyes of their human owners. Children will not fail to miss the one curious child who follows his own teddy to the picnic site, since he is the one creature whose pale visage and upright posture are distinctly human despite his fuzzy bear costume. ?- Combining realism with romanticism, Hague remains true to his highly recognizable style, creating an appealing fantasy world full of curious details such as lithesome fairies and other fey creatures rendered in pen-and-ink line drawings washed in warm earth tones and livened by touches of soft reds and blues. The arhythmic, and at times, nonrhyming verse, captioned in unobtrusive black-bordered boxes and set against the full double-page illustrations, might read awkwardly to those unfamiliar with the tune. Unfortunately, no musical notation is provided. --Dorothy Houlihan, formerly at White Plains Pub . Lib . , NY
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
An expansive setting (11''x12'') for a sentimental favorite, a song (``written over forty years ago'') describing a teddy bears' woodland outing without their ``Mummies and Daddies,'' who come at the end to ``take them home to bed.'' Hague provides a lush setting, mostly in teddy-bear brown and gold, with muscular Rackham trees, fairies hiding under toadstools and among roots, dozens of winsome bears feasting, blowing bubbles, swimming, etc., and one toddler (disguised in a bear-suit and clutching his own large teddy) as observer; in the end, these last two snuggle down amid fairy dust after the other bears have gone home. Appealing; too bad the music wasn't included. (Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

If you go down in the woods today, you'd better go in disguise...
My kids (2 1/2 b/g twins) love the 'Teddy Bears Picnic' song from the 1950's - I purchased this book so that we could learn the words b/c the tune kept getting stuck in my head. This is a large paperback book with stunning illustrations and it has fast become a family favorite. Buy this and find a cd with the original verson of the song too : )

The TeddyBear's Picnic
This is a delightful board book and is perfect for 6+ mos to toddlers. The little ones like being able to turn the pages, and the toddlers enjoy the story and the old-fashioned traditional illustrations. I had not seen the book before but was familiar with the music of the same name, and must say I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the book. Happy Grandma in Virginia : o )

Wonderful and Lovable
My kids love this book. (7 & 3 1/2) They enjoy seeing the boy dressed up as a bear on each page. The bears are not scary AT ALL. They are illustrated in a very cuddly and lovable way.

I purchased this book because we love the song. We recently purchased a cd with the song on it (On the Good Ship Lollypop, by The Persuasions) and it reminded me of hearing the book when I was a child.

"At six o'clock their mummy's and daddy's will take them home to bed, because they're tired little teddy bears..."