We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past

 

Title: We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrated by: Diane Greenseid
Published by: Hyperion Books for Children

 This author had me from the time I picked this book up.Every page is filled with color and people moving, as  the little girl, Teeka,  introduces you to all the members of her family. You can almost hear the different voices, from Grandma gossiping about Aunt Martha’s pie, to Uncle Luther serving up his famous cinnamon bread. Teeka is the narrator and introduces you to all her family members who bring a variety of home-made dishes to share on a Sunday picnic. Don't be in a hurry to read this book, take your time and sit down and get to know her family. This book is full of sassy comments made by her grandma and others. Teeka will make you chuckle, as you enjoy in a beautifully illustrated picnic full of soul food specialties.I know that this book brought back memories of going to my grandmothers house on Sunday and having dinner. And yes I had an Aunt Donna that couldn't cook and we was glad that she would bring store bought cakes or KFC to the dinners.

I love the pictures of the park and the details. I can even see the wrinkles on the pants of second cousin Laurie's son, Jefferson. The dialectic is authentic of how African Americans speak. I think that they speak from the heart and everything they say is said with love and understanding. The illustrations are amazing, you can see the brushstrokes in the grass, leaves and even the corn on the cob. Oh, and the emotions just jump right out at you. You can tell when someone is happy, sad, ignoring someone that thinks they are a ladies man (Cousin Trevor). I also liked how she used different fonts to set up emotions in her writing. The different colors of the fonts also are different for certain pages. I also like that every page begins with a Huge Letter of a different color to start each part of the story. She is just a genuine writer that writes from her own personal experiences. Children can relate to this type of genre.

If this book doesn't bring back fond memories of Sunday dinners with your family, then you need to start a tradition and have Sunday dinner at your house. I know that I did and I wouldn't trade it for nothing in the world.