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.
PreS-Gr 2-A concept book that blends rhyming, counting, repetition, and animal sounds into a charming, folksy story. Hutchins's trademark wooden figures-including the farming couple from Changes, Changes (Macmillan, 1971)-populate this delightful tale in which a farmer watches his animals eat bright red apples from the tree. "`Horse!' cried the farmer. `Save some for me!'" When there is just one apple left, he picks it ("Yippee, fiddle-dee-fee!"). Then along comes his wife, who finds "No red apples to bake in a pie. Fie, fie, fiddle-dee-fee!" The farmer saves the day when he finds another tree and they fill the basket with "More red apples hanging on a tree." The bouncy singsong text begs to be read aloud. The rhyme is easy and smooth, with a catchy refrain. An added surprise is the appearance of Rosie the hen from Rosie's Walk (Macmillan, 1968). The gouache paintings are bright and clear, and the palette includes many colors beyond the primary tones of red, blue, and yellow. There is a cheery border at the top and bottom of each page. The endpapers show the happy couple counting apples from 1 to 10 and back again. A delicious selection from a master of simplicity.-Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
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