MORTIMER'S PICNIC

Mortimer the rabbit sets out to help a friend in need but soon needs some help himself.

When his best pal, Oggy, falls sick, their picnic plans are dashed, so Mortimer decides to take the nosh he prepared to Oggy’s house and show him some TLC. Armed with his picnic basket, medicine, a get-well-soon card, and a storybook, he sets off along a winding country lane, but trouble awaits. First, it begins to rain, and a strong wind hauls Mortimer away into a river. Then, a crocodile, a wolf, and a troll force him to surrender the yummy items in his picnic basket in exchange for safe passage. But the bullies aren’t satisfied—they want to eat Mortimer too; so, when he flees, they give chase. All hope seems lost until a brilliant deus ex machina finds Mortimer saved just in the nick of time. Ultimately, it is Oggy—who is feeling quite better as the story closes—who ends up taking care of the cold and shivering Mortimer, because “that's what best friends are for!” The text is lively, set in varying font sizes for dramatic effect, with pleasingly familiar European fairy-tale elements. Young readers will be thrilled and surprised to discover the identity of Oggy. Ward’s illustrations, rendered in watercolors with a pencil line, are engaging. All of the characters—even a bumblebee in the background on one page—sport spot-on facial expressions.

Fun and sweet. A real picnic.