Rosie's Walk

Story

Rosie, the hen, goes for a stroll around the farm. Little does she know a fox is behind her. Oblivious to him she carries on walking, inadvertently luring him into one accident after another making the book funnier and funnier as you turn the pages.

Why we chose it

The story told in the pictures is not the same as that told in the words – all the humour and excitement is in the pictures making this a great book for introducing children to reading pictures as well as a classic example of picture and words working together to create a deeply satisfying story.

Where it came from

The Yorkshire countryside heavily inspired Pat Hutchins artwork. When she was a little girl, a couple gifted her a sketchbook where she would draw, and chocolate was the reward for her illustrations.

After gaining a scholarship to Darlington School of Art, then attending Leeds College of Art, where she continued with illustration, she moved to New York with her husband, where she began to work on her first book Rosie’s Walk.

Where it went next

Rosie’s Walk was a huge success, becoming a timeless classic for children. After its publication in 1966 it made the American Library Association (ALA) Notable Book of the Year in 1968.

Associated stories

Other picture books by Pat Hutchins include Titch, Changes, Goodnight Owl, Don’t Forget the Bacon and Where, Oh Where is Rosie’s Chick? Novels for early readers include The Mona Lisa Mystery, The House That Sailed Away and Follow That Bus.

Pat Hutchins also starred in the Rosie and Jim television series, taking over from John Cunliffe as the driver of the barge.