LET'S HAVE A PICNIC!

A white-spotted black pup enjoys various picnic activities.

There is kite flying, a romp in the flowers, a playground exploration, and various treats in six double-page spreads of highly stylized and florescent digital art. The day culminates in an explosion of fireworks. A companion book, Beach Day!, features the same color-intense imagery, but here, two white youngsters delight in the sand and surf. Hinton’s art, while bold, may prove confusing to little ones learning to label and name common objects. Apples are pine-green, hair is plaid, and objects are all over the place in terms of scale. Human or animal characters do not appear until the second or third double-page spread in, giving both projects an ungrounded feel.

No need to go on this excursion.