Rosie's Walk

Rosie #1

by Pat Hutchins

Rosie the hen is enjoying a leisurely walk around the farm, but the stroll isn't nearly as pleasant for the fox who is trying -- unsuccessfully -- to navigate the obstacle course Rosie is unknowingly leading him through.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Classics, Storytime, Humor

32 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Pat Hutchins is an English illustrator and writer of children's books.

She won the 1974 Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject. The work was The Wind Blew, a picture book in rhyme which she also wrote. It shows how "a crowd of people anxiously chase their belongings" in the wind.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lucky find in a charity shop this week! Having probably read this as a child and having taken this out of the library when my children were small, I was really pleased to find a copy.

The story is simple, Rosie is a hen who is going for a walk. She is closely followed by a fox, luckily a series of accidents means that Rosie returns from her walk safely.

The illustrations are really distinctive, their 60s style is really enjoyable, I love the colours, browns, oranges, yellow and olive green. The images have lots of patterns and designs that make this instantly recognisable.

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A timeless classic that was great for teaching youngsters about prepositions and maps. After I would read this, the students and I would make a map of the places Rosie visits.

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually first heard about this book when I was watching it on “Weston Woods” which is a children’s programming company that turns classic children’s books into ten minute long cartoon shorts. “Rosie’s Walk” is a children’s book by Pat Hutchins and it is about the wacky adventures of Rosie the Hen and the fox that is trying to catch her. “Rosie’s Walk” is truly a brilliant and hilarious book that many children will love for many years!

This was the first book that I have read from Pat Hutchins and I can tell you that I really enjoyed this book! Pat Hutchins has done a great job at both illustrating and writing this book. The best aspect of this book is that the story is extremely hilarious as Rosie keeps on walking into all kinds of things at the farm such as a rake and a haystack and the fox suffers for it as he runs into the things that Rosie goes through easily. I love the way that Pat Hutchins portrays Rosie as a quiet hen who is unaware of the danger right behind her, which makes this book extremely light-hearted as Rosie is never actually hurt when she goes through various objects and buildings at the farm, however the fox is the one who always get hurt every time it tries to catch Rosie and I think that many children will definitely enjoy the fox’s futile efforts to catch Rosie. Pat Hutchins’ illustrations are truly simplistic yet hilarious as you can see that most of the background objects such as the trees have geometric shapes that make this book look simple. I love the way that Pat Hutchins illustrates the trees in oval shapes and the branches are set up all in a row of lines in the trees. As was the trend with most picture books of the 1960s, there were mainly only six colors used in the illustrations which were red, orange, yellow, black, green, and brown, however these colors easily bring out the humorous touch to the illustrations. Pat Hutchins illustrates Rosie as a yellow, orange and brownish hen with a calm look in her eyes despite the fox following her in every image and the fox is drawn with a large bushy tail, large black ears, and small feet, which actually makes him look more cute than scary.

“Rosie’s Walk” is a truly hilarious story that I believe many children will enjoy if they love good humor. I would recommend this book to children ages three and up since this book is really easy for small children to read since there are only two or three words per page and there is nothing inappropriate in this book that would worry parents.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that I doubt will ever loose its sense of originality and delight. It is, for me, the perfect picturebook and one that set a precedent for all that followed. It's amazing to think it's over 50 years old.

Simple enough to the early reader, we watch as Rosie takes a stroll through the yard. As she does, she is pursued by a broad-eared fox who fails each time we turn the page to capture her. Does Rosie know what's happening or is she oblivious to the fox's constant attempts to eat her? Well, that's up to the reader and that's half the joy in the book itself.

A form of joyous play between word and picture and between text and reader, it may only contain 31 words but it is a model of perfection and the delight that comes with reading.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun! This is really all about the illustrations as there are only a very few words and it could really be told without them--which I mean as a compliment because the illustrations are wonderfully expressive and interesting. As the sly fox slinks after Rosie the chicken on her walk, he comes to realize that maybe she is even MORE sly as she leads him through a series of natural booby-traps which she manages to skillfully avoid. It's like a more refined Roadrunner and Wylie Coyote! ;->

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosie is being stalked by Mr. Fox - but he is going to have to decide how much he wants a chicken dinner after bad karma starts to stalk him! This would be a very good book to read with a child as a kind of first introduction to 'situational awareness'! Not to scare them, but to teach them to be more aware of their surroundings. Love the art!

[Gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a book that has only 32 words within its covers, this is delightful. Pat Hutchins' lovely story is enhanced by her superb period illustrations (1968) which could, indeed, tell the story without any words at all. But the reader can enjoy both words and pictures.

Rosie the hen sets off for a walk around the farm where she lives. Unknowing to her a crafty fox is following in her footsteps and is getting ready to pounce. Fortunately for Rosie, who is thoroughly enjoying her walk around her domain, at every moment when the fox is about to attack something untoward pops up and thwarts him.

The end result is that Rosie completes her walk and 'gets back in time for dinner'.

This is a timeless tale and absolutely charming, no wonder 'The School Librarian' magazine commented, 'Classic and everlastingly pleasing.' It certainly is.

[Dominik · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book discusses the constant struggle between the good and the evil. What is particularly interesting, the book mixes traditional conventions and we are no longer sure who is the "good" one and who is the "bad" one. Follow: although Rosie is an eponymous character, she can hardly be perceived as a protagonist, as she literary does nothing. She just walks, and walks, and walks. She merely exists. Her character may, of course, be understood as an exemplification of a "homo viator" motif, that's obvious, however, this is the motif presented in a truly pessimistic way. Her "I-don't-give-a-damn" attitude turns out to be much more profitable than taking actions. A postmodernist antihero character in all of its glory.

Now, take a look at Wolf. He's planning. He's hiding. He's attacking. He's trying to catch Rosie, but each time he fails. He might bear some resemblance to Satan from "Paradise Lost", as both of them are doomed to fail, no matter what they do. An interesting question arises: should we blame Wolf for what he is doing? That he is acting in accordance with his nature of a predator? I do not want to solve the problem - I just indicate that it exists. For me, Wolf is a true protagonist in this novel, as he is much more complex and structured than Rosie. That is why I formulated a hypothesis that Wolf possibly might be perceived as a good character, as many readers (like me, for instance) felt some kind of a bond with him.

What is the moral of it? This miserable world we live in rewards those who do not even try to achieve their goal, and those who try - fail. Sad but true. Unfair but true.

As for the pictures, I did not like them. They are too bright and colors are monotonous.

[Chantal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved how the drawings in this book were so 70 ties inspired, from color to motive. A fun book to watch on how the chicken stays save the whole time, making it seem that the fox is dumb in all of this. Beautiful colors!

This book is in the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up challenge I am doing.

[Lyn Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve read and relished this book aloud to small children.
It’s one of my all-time favourites.
I love the rhythm of the words:
Rosie the hen went for a walk.
Across the yard.
Round the pond.
Over the haystack
Past the mill
Through the fence
Under the beehives
and got back in time for a dinner.

I find myself tapping out the timing of her walk as I read and then we look at the pictures of Rosie walking sedately, oblivious of the fox tracking her but meeting disaster at every turn. Immensely satisfying.

[J9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

We got a themed box of books from the library about Farms and this was one of the books. Most of these books from the box, although labeled for grade K, are really a little boring for my 5 yr old, but he's already doing first grade work, so it might depend on your level of your reader. My twin 3 yr old's loved this though. About 10 words in the entire book, it's really more about the story that the pictures tell, about Rosie the Hen's walk around the farm with a fox chasing right behind her. The escapades the fox gets into had my preschoolers laughing and so it was a fun read for us.

[Mila Reads Alot ☕ · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite childhood stories :)

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is all about the pictures—the words are sparse and not integral to the story. Rosie the hen goes for a walk, and the fox following her always manages to get hurt in places that she stays safe. Does Rosie do it on purpose, or is it just luck? You decide.

I love the stylized illustrations from 1968.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book for Early Years depicting the journey of Rosie the hen. It is also lovely because the stroy focuses on Rosie but the story itself has another character who is only shown in picture. This leads itself to asking questions about this character. Group reading would be a very good time to use this book.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A picture book classic about a hen who is completely oblivious to the antics of a fox who is stalking her. With minimal text and simple geometrically patterned pen and ink illustrations, there is much to observe in this lovely preschool concept book. The cause and effect humor of the fox's walk makes this an enjoyable book to share in small groups or one-on-one.

[Erica Mattson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My three kids did love this book when they were little (reading in 2008 through 2011). After reading the not so stellar reviews I flipped through it and remembered that I always read it with sound effects. The kids knew the sound for each mishap and would join in or just laugh. To the adults who think the book is ‘dull’ I guess it’s in the approach :) I’ve sorted through all the kid’s books in our home now that they are grown past them....this one stays!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosie’s Walk is a great children’s picture book, I really enjoyed it. I admit it is a book that I had not read previously, but after hearing from a colleague of how awlful it was I had to read it for myself. After reading the booK I beg to differ, it is a fantastic children’s book.

I read this book to my daughter, and after using probing questions such as: ‘look at the hen, what is he doing?’ she followed each page curiously, as she said, “mummy the fox is trying to eat him” Once she realised the fox was trying to eat the hen she was hooked, she kept saying “again mummy look.” I would say, based on my daughters response to the book, Rosie’s walk is engaging and a great read.

I like this book because the illustrations are beautiful. Also it has such simple text that builds anticipation; it literally leaves you on the edge of your seat, as you watch on every page and the Foxe’s attempts to eat Rosie the Hen.


This book is appropriate across EYFS to KS1 and would be a useful resource for Geography and Science, in terms of understanding the world around them. It is very interesting and amusing that Rosie Hen was so oblivious to the Foxes’ attempts and ties in very well with this aspect of learning-awareness of safety and their environment. This book could be a great book to read to the class in conjunction with the topic of mapping, as the story follows the Hens journey.

The book encourages a good use of observational skills and comprehension. This book could also be useful for children with SEN or delayed speech and language develoment, as they can take pleasure in pointing at the pictures and following the story very easily. This is such a clever book.

In addition, the book could be useful for literacy, as there are some useful references to farm keywords. The prepositions used in this book could be very useful for KS1 students in helping them to structure sentences as they begin to develop their sentences using words like on and above-linking nouns, pronouns and phrases.

It is an excellent book for children-I totally recommend it. If you do have children, please go get it-your children deserve it. This book will not let you down.
.

[Kaylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time reading Rosie’s Walk I was not very impressed. There are very few words and I didn’t feel like a child would be too engaged in the book, but after reading it a second time and thinking of ideas to make it better, I thought that when reading the book if you made noises to go along with what’s being said it may enhance the walk and make the story better as a whole. So for a third time reading it, I decided to read the story out loud, making noises when the fox had an accident, and found myself laughing and getting more into the book. The colors used in the illustrations are a good representation of a farm being in a sense plain, but I feel that if there had been more of a variety of colors it would enhance the book greatly and the reader would want to look more into the illustrations. I found myself just glancing at the illustrations thinking “oh, that’s cute” whereas I would want to think “wow, beautiful!” because I think that’s farms as well as nature are amazing but that wasn’t shown through these illustrations. It would also be a great way to start a do-it-yourself book for children. They could pick their surroundings (a house, park, school) and pick their own animals to use throughout the book and could use their imagination to make a story like this! The anticipation that you get, wondering whether the fox will get the hen is also fun and makes you wonder what will happen on the next page. I also love that the word fox isn’t mentioned, so the illustrations speak louder than the words in the sense that without the illustrations, the story wouldn’t be complete.

[Paweł · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit that my feelings about “Rosie’s Walk” by Pat Hutchins were highly conflicting at first, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, considering I truly enjoyed both the artistic style of the pictures and the story they were meant to convey (which, by the way, unfolds in a pretty dynamic and humorous manner - bound to keep the readers intrigued). I started sifting through my mind and memory and then it struck me – it’s “Tom and Jerry” all over again, but, at least in my case, even more rage inducing. Oh, the childhood trauma! I used to watch that cartoon on a daily basis, hoping that one day Tom would finally manage to capture that pesky mouse and exact vengeance for the heinous crimes it committed throughout all the seasons of the show. Team Tom is where it’s at, and it’s no different for me in “Rosie’s Walk”. Mr. Fox is relentless in his hen hunt, and there is something truly admirable in his unyielding determination. Eyes set on the prize; he faces insurmountable odds and suffers, just as all brave men must. If only I could, I would carry you through the battlefield, Mr. Fox, for we all have the right to fight for our dreams!
As for Rosie – she is completely oblivious of the dangers lurking everywhere around her. She is nowhere near as cunning as Jerry (the evil mastermind), but she walks around with her head held high, as if she owned the place. Perhaps this unfounded pride is what I find so infuriating about her character.

[Niamh Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins is an excellent illustrated book that tells the story of Rosie the hen that goes for a walk around the farmyard before having dinner. In this particular book the illustrations nearly tell more than the words as they introduce the character of the fox that follows Rosie along her walk and attempts to pounce on her. Instead undergoes a series of mishaps in his attempts which are illustrated humorously from beginning to end. The text and illustrations give an account of the happenings and of the other inhabitants of the farm. In a class this could be used in a guided reading session and the children could be asked to recall the tracks of the hen and mishaps of the fox. Children could be asked to draw a timeline showing the series of events. A class discussion about being aware of one's surroundings and safety could be instigated from the hen being blissfully unaware of the fact that she was being followed by the fox. An investigation involving the different types of farm animals or activities that take place on a farm, past experiences on a visit to a farm, farm safety could be a good follow on activity for this story.

[Lucy Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pat Hutchins' picture book lets readers follow Rosie, the hen of the title, all around the farm where she lives. The illustrations are wonderfully bold, and at the same time full of details which children like to take time looking at and pointing out. The text of the book is quite simple for young children to grasp, and consists of short sentences which practise prepositions such as across, over, around, through, etc. Good as the text and illustrations are on their own, the real genius of the book is the way in which the words and pictures work together. Although the text describes just what Rosie does, it tells only a small part of the story, as the pictures show a sneaky fox who is following the unwitting hen. Each simple sentence is accompanied by illustrations showing the fox trying, and failing miserably, to catch the bird. His exploits are the main focus of the story, and the book is a very funny way to show children that 'reading' a picture book is about more than just processing the words on the page.

[Anna Nesterovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little book for cute little kids. It was fun to read a book with 32 words on 32 pages (no, not one word per page). The illustrations are also hilarious, even though I don't usually like this style. The unusual side of the book is the lack of descriptions. The few words that are there don't really tell the story, unless you are looking at the pictures. Or rather, they tell the story how it's seen from Rosie's point of view, which doesn't really correspond with what really happened. Thus, a lot is left unsaid, giving space for imagination, word-play and discussion. The downside - it can't be one of the first books a kid tries to read him or herself; since the words and the pictures tell two different stories, it makes it impossible for a beginning reader to focus. But it's a great book for reading together. I wish I learnt about it earlier, when my son was three or four; back then it would be very entertaining and educational for him. Now, that he's five, it's not all that educational, but we still had a lot of fun and a nice discussion.

[Tharema Alim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when working with a nursery class and the children really enjoyed the story. It has simple sentences and colourful illustrations to go with it which the children love. After a few times the book has been read to the children they start to pick up on most of the sentences such as "past the mill", "over the haycock" which enables them to join in with the story.

A activity I did with the children that they really enjoyed was a role play, where I got half the children to be the foxes and the other half to be Rosie the hen. I had set the outside playground with obstacles similar to what then hen faced in the story, I then got the children to act out the story and at the same time they would say what they were doing.

Overall this story is a good book for children as it helps them to learn different directional words such as past, over, around and many more. The book also focuses on journeys and can interlink with other stories as well.

[Michelle]

Rosie the hen leaves the chicken coop and sets out for a little walk. A fox follows behind her, but cannot catch her as she leads him into one accident after another. Eventually Rosie returns to the coop just in time for dinner.

This is a great simple story for teaching positional words and mapping a story. Rosie, followed by a fox, goes ACROSS the yard, AROUND the pond, PAST the mill, THROUGH the fence, and UNDER the beehives. The fox, to the delight of the children, has one accident after another while trying to catch Rosie.

To enhance children's understanding of the story, we made a huge mural size map of Rosie's walk using pictures from Kizclub.com. The children colored the pictures, cut them out, and then decided how to position them on the mural. We also included the positional phrases at each juncture on the map.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

This humorous little picture-book, which relies on the contrast between text and image to produce its effect, follows Rosie the red hen as she sets out for a walk around the farm. The extremely brief narrative - the entire story is told in a single sentence - is calm and matter-of-fact, little more than a recitation of Rosie's itinerary. The illustrations, on the other hand, are colorful and exciting, depicting a sly fox on the hunt - for Rosie! Unfortunately, or fortunately (as the case may be), he keeps running into trouble, as Rosie walks heedlessly along. I'm glad my friend Kathryn recommended this - I never would have picked it up otherwise, and it really is a wonderful book. Rosie's Walk is one I highly recommend to younger preschool children who enjoy a funny story!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alternating pages with words and pages without words, makes this book easy to follow for new readers. Further, the illustrations match the main character's (the oblivious rooster) actions, helping to prompt the reader, followed by funny pictures of the hungry/mischievious fox getting himself into trouble, making the story fun to read. Little details in each illustration (a little snail by the side of the road, a bird in a tree or a little mouse in a haystack) make it fun to explore beyond the words.

[Sarah Brock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very simple book about a hen that goes on a walk back to her hen house. The illustration shows a fox following the hen, but never discusses this within the text. This book is one that can be shown to the Early Years when talking about the farm, or going on walks, or flowing trails. If you have read this story to children a few times you could then translate it into a different language such as French or Spanish as there aren’t too many words within the text. This is a nice short book for children with nice illustrations throughout.

[Gem ✿Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ✿ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't crazy about his one, it seems to straddle the fence. On one hand, it has directional language (under, across, in, around, etc.) that is too advanced for the very young children. For children who are old enough to begin to understand the directional language the story is lacking... only a few words per page, if that. I'm not sure why but the art didn't do anything for me either in spite of the fact that the artist used my favorite color palette.

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A G-rated version of Tom and Jerry.