Shh! We Have a Plan

by Chris Haughton

From the creator of Little Owl Lost and Oh No, George! comes a funny, strikingly illustrated story of best-laid plans — and the secret to attracting the birdie.

Four friends creep through the woods, and what do they spot? An exquisite bird high in a tree! “Hello birdie,” waves one. “Shh! We have a plan,” hush the others. They stealthily make their advance, nets in the air. Ready one, ready two, ready three, and go ! But as one comically foiled plan follows another, it soon becomes clear that their quiet, observant companion, hand outstretched, has a far better idea. Award-winning author-illustrator Chris Haughton is back with another simple, satisfying story whose visual humor plays out in boldly graphic, vibrantly colorful illustrations.

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

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Chris Haughton is an Irish illustrator and author living in London. He was listed in Time magazine's 'DESIGN 100' for the work he has been doing for fair trade clothing company People Tree. His debut book 'A Bit Lost' was first published in English in September 2010. It has been translated into 15 languages and won 9 awards in 7 countries including the Dutch Picturebook of the Year.
'Oh No George' came out in March 2012 and has been nominated for 6 awards in 4 countries including the Roald Dahl Funny award.

Reviews

[Dream.M · Rating 4 out of 5]

سلام سلام🙃
کتاب #کودک امروز یکی از گوگولی ترین و نازترین کتابهاییه که خوندم. مناسب بچه های ۳-۴ ساله
کتاب ش عملا داستان نداره ولی نقاشی ها و پلاتش جوریه که میتونید ازش بعنوان یک داستان تعاملی استفاده کنید و بچه رو فعالانه درگیر قصه کنید. چندتا دیالوگ کوتاه ریتمیک داره که مطعنم بچه عاشقش میشه و ریتم رو تکرار می‌کنه .
منکه خیلی خیلی دوسش داشتم.
فایل موجود می‌باشد ⁦⟵⁠(⁠๑⁠¯⁠◡⁠¯⁠๑⁠)⁩

[Tina Haigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story about four brothers trying to catch a bird in their nets. The story dialogue is sparse and repetitive--which is great for beginning readers, not so much for older kids--leaving the art to be the focal point. Created digitally in a folk-art style, with everything but the animals done in a captivating blue monochromatic palette, it told more of the story than the words on the pages. I was surprisingly pleased to see that it employed one of my favorite forms of comedy--physical; it definitely coaxed forth a few chuckles. I would say I recommend this for kids ages 4 to 8.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four friends have a plan to catch a birdie they spot in the woods. But that plan turns into falling, splashing, and running!

”Ready one, ready two, ready three…GO!”

Shadows and shades of blue play on the page creating a silly mood and energy. Those eyes! They say it all!

Plus “Shhhh” is the perfect read aloud sound and word.

A fun, simple tale and “plan” that made me smile. :)

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is our new favorite. i didn't think something could top LITTLE OWL LOST for sheer cuteness and cleverness, but Haughton has done it. After one reading, my toddler had the rhythm of this down, and now when I read it to him, he supplies the "shh!" Such a fun book!

[nazanin · Rating 3 out of 5]

گوگولیو بامزس، کلا این سری کتابای کودک خیلی به دل می‌شینن✨

[María Ángeles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es la primera vez que comento un libro infantil, pero con "¡Shhh! Tenemos un plan" he sentido realmente necesidad de comentarlo. Como mamá de un niño de 18 meses ya empiezo a leer libros infantiles, así que si encuentro joyitas como ésta, pienso contarlas por aquí.

El libro no puede ser más maravilloso. Gráficamente es precioso: irremediablemente voy a empezar a seguir a su autor. ¿Cuántas palabras tiene este libro? ¿50? Pues es impresionante como la forma de dibujar del autor construye una historia a la que solo tiene que añadir un poco de texto. Un texto igualmente bien elegido, con un patrón repetitivo que tan bien le va a los niños. Además, por si fuera poco, el cuento tiene una pequeña moraleja; así que... enamorada me hallo...

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hoe schattig is dit prentenboek? Vier mannetjes willen een vogel vangen, maar dat is nog niet zo gemakkelijk. De tekeningen zijn echt prachtig en ik houd ook van het kleurgebruik. En vogels. Vogels zijn geweldig 🐦💕

[Tracy Clausen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic illustrations, would make a great readers theater for young elementary school children.

[معصومه توکلی · Rating 5 out of 5]

آخ که من عاشق این کتابم!

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out more picture book reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

Three friends decide to catch the bird they spot in the woods. One little friend wants to try another approach but SHH! - they have a PLAN. Not the best one either as that plan turns into falling, splashing, and running!

I KNEW we had to read this book as soon as I saw the wonderful ART! And I was NOT disappointed... it is a truly beautiful book from the illustrations to the message... This is the kind of picture book I would LOVE to create myself!

The first thing I loved was the contrast of the dark blue figures in the dim blue world to the bright and vibrant birds! I think there is a hint here about nature and wildlife compared to the human world. I love that subtle environmental message...

Then we have these three that stick together and basically do only what they all agree to do together. The littler guy is the odd man out... he's thinking for himself and is successful BECAUSE he didn't go with the crowd! Being 1 of many is not nearly as empowering as someone who thinks for themselves.

I really appreciated though that other than being littler all the figures look relatively the same. There are many things that bring all 4 together and only 1 thing that separates them... This is a wonderful message of acceptance and endurance in the face of a little difference between friends!

My nephew quite loved the book and especially the repeating phrase Shh! We've got a plan. This was quite the giggle fest which is lovely to see on him when he is normally hurrying to finish the book so he can get to the drawing! He could still discern that it was the boy that got the bird! He loved the end where they switch from birds to squirrels and the littler guy seems resigned that they will repeat their same mistakes!

I TOTALLY would purchase this book! It is a MUST in a home library and can be read for many years and still bear message fruit for a young reader to discuss with you.

BOTTOM LINE: Multi-layered messages in a gorgeously illustrated book!

______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my picture book reviews in a special feature called Boo's Picture Gallery...

[Zahra Labbafan]

نقاشیش بامزه بود و داستان ساده شکار ناموفق پرنده برای کودکان جذابه

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

My cousin fell asleep midway through the book. Thank you Mr. Haughton!

[Negar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story 3
Illustration 5

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 4 out of 5]

5* art
4* story

The illustrations. My gosh, the illustrations. You know, illustrators don't get enough credit. How many of us have pictures in our heads that have traveled along with us throughout our lives, and then one day, purely by accident, we open a book, and there it is - it hits like a wall of memory - that picture. So familiar. All the colours leap to life, something that was beautiful and new and full of wonder - or frightening, or disturbing - it's all there. Can you tell me Michelangelo wanted anything more from his fans?

But there I go ranting on again. It's a kids book. It's awesome. It's a little young for Squirt, to be honest, but he likes it anyway, and can recite each page - as can I.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

SSSSSHHHHH! Vi hal en plan!

BLØDSMULEL!

Perfekt bok for toåringer.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very entertaining book about a group of four who are searching in the dark of night for something to catch. Three of the group are bigger and often tell the smallest (likely youngest) of the group repetitively to "Shh! We have a plan."

The humor comes from the futility of the group's plan and the silly results combined with the juxtaposition of the youngest's successful methods.

Does this book have a deeper meaning about kindness over stealth and force or listening to the wisdom of the young or perhaps, a call for being calm, patience, and generous?

I'm not sure, but the book is sure fun to read aloud. In fact, our girls read it aloud to me, which is always a treat. I enjoyed checking out the mostly blue-shaded digital illustrations while they took over reading the dialogue.

In fact, I had been dozing off the food and activities of our Thanksgiving day, when the girls woke me with numerous whispers of "Shh! We have a plan." We laughed over the silliness of the characters and marveled at the success of the little one.

The ending was appropriately silly, with the littlest one shrugging as if to say, "Here we go again..." We all really enjoyed reading this book together. Our youngest liked to point out how the endpapers feature birds at the beginning and squirrels at the end.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

What looks to be four friends or four family members creep through the woods at night in search of prey. Three of them have nets--and a plan--to capture a bird. They fail, time and time again, while the smallest member of the party attracts a flock of birds with his friendliness, kindness, and offer of food. Of course, the others still don't learn from his example. Like me, many young readers will enjoy the story just for its amusement while others will see its life lessons about the impact of force versus gentleness. I enjoyed the repetition of those cautionary "Shh"s and the moody digital illustrations that make readers feel as though they are moving through the night stealthily.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

An utterly delightful read-aloud! It's hard to say who will enjoy it more - the reader or the audience. The two year-old on my lap last weekend enjoyed it every bit as much as I did, and we were both excited to "Read it again!"

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever, cute, and colorful. I expect this would be so much fun to read aloud for story time.

[Eva Lavrikova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deťom by sme mali čítať už len po poľsky, svet by bol omnoho veselší. A samotná knižka veľmi vydarený, vtipný, vizuálne pekný počin. Toto pre maluchów chcete.

[Becs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the illustrations in this boardbook - there's something really unique and cartoonish about them which makes them stand out from the crowd. The story is essentially a sequence of failed bird captures by four people tracking a bird through the woods - it's simple, but quite funny.

The narrative is repetitive, demonstrating the four people tracking the bird having pretty much exactly the same conversation multiple times over as they attempt to capture the bird in their nets. But the story isn't really, I don't think, supposed to be the selling point here. The selling point is the silly things they have to do, and are seen doing in the illustrations, when trying to catch him!

I like that the bird is out-smarting four perfectly competent humans - he's absolutely toying with them! But I don't like so much that we need to rely entirely on the pictures; it feels like this could have been a lot funnier if the characters had a bit more variety in their dialogue.

Nevertheless, a fun story about a bird who is far more inventive than his predators.

ARC provided free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

[Keshia Dahm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shh! We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton is a children's picturebook about a group of four individuals who have a plan that goes wrong, which involves searching and catching a bird during the night. Haughton uses the juxtaposition of the three older characters against the youngest character. In my understanding the three older characters embody the greed and the destructive nature of human beings, however, in contrast, the youngest embodies being generous, patient and loving towards the environment and everyone who resides there.

The three older characters being different to the youngest is firstly recognised on the front cover. The three older characters are all very close to each other, touching bodies. Their fingers against their mouth indicating the "shh". All three of them look straight ahead towards the reader. However, the youngest is a little further away and does not use his finger to "shh". This indicates that he is not in on the plan, he does not share the same views or values as the other three. Additionally, he is not looking straight ahead but watching the other three, this gives a feeling of him/her observing the other three. That the youngest is not in on the plan is very obvious throughout the book, as he does not have a catching net like the other three. Furthermore, he never participates in the act of trying to catch the bird but is a silent observer.

The colours used in the picturebook are predominantly blue shades, the characters have an almost worn out or torn paper look to their outline. Contrastingly, the nature around them have much cleaner outlines, in particular, the birds contrast enormously in their bright red and green colours. This really benefits to the story leaving the human world to be in various shades of blue and black and the birds that are drawn in more vibrant colours. The bright colours on the doublespread where all the birds are with the youngest really emphasise the exhilaration and discovery that is occurring at this point of the story.

One of the main patterns that guide us through the story is the bird that constantly flies to the next page, guiding us and the characters through the journey. This is emphasised even more by the moonlight as a ray of light coming from the sky that is directly pointed on the bird. Another pattern that can be noticed is that the eyes of the bird are mostly closed at the beginning, focussing on itself not watching or observing its surrounding. However, the characters eyes are always wide open watching and following the bird. The bird only then opens its eyes when the youngest offers the bird some food. As well as when the other three characters try to catch the birds, later on, they then all have their eyes open, looking angry and chasing them away. The eyes of the character seem very similar to the moon that almost seems as it is watching them after they tried to catch the birds. Maybe representing something bigger than themselves, watching them.

The end of the picturebook starts out like the beginning, having a plan to catch another animal. This is interesting as it could symbolise the human nature of greed and wanting more, not seeing what destruction they are causing through their actions. Even though they saw the youngest succeed with his simple non-destructive plan they continue to use their plan that failed the first time.

This is a great picturebook for all ages as it is very simple and understood by the youngest but at the same time, the quirky characters and the colour choices make it very intriguing and interesting even for older children and adults.

[Christina Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because I loved 'Oh No George!' by the same author and illustrator so I had to give this a read too. Haughton's signature illustration style is fantastic, as always. I love how much expression he manages to put into the shifty eyes of his characters. The story follows some friends trying to capture a bird, but nothing ever goes quite to plan.
A fun read-aloud, with an ending which is sure to cause laughter.

[Ellie Morland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are totally unique and made this book a very interesting read. This book is very entertaining as we follow 3 characters trying to catch a bird and failing. The repetition would make it an entertaining and easy read for lower KS1 and foundation stage and it would be fun to all join in on the action.

[Zac Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Style of pictures is nothing like I've seen before. If you like we're going on a bear hunt, then this is a must read.

[Naomi Saucke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book holds a special place in my heart. I especially love the Albert Einstein quote in the back of the book.

[Filipa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adoro as histórias do Chris Haughton! Quero ler todos com as minhas filhas.

[Mahdiye Fateh · Rating 5 out of 5]

لطیف!
با ترجمه ی نورا حق پرست و انتشارات کانون.

[caly · Rating 5 out of 5]

l’humour de répétition fonctionne super bien (et surtout sur moi lol) ; les dessins sont vraiment chouettes aussi et j’adoooore le fait que les chasseurs n’atteignent pas leur but 💅🏻

validé par Capucine qui était fasciné par les oiseaux et se tapait des grosses barres de rire quand les chasseurs rataient leur coup à chaque fois (oups désolé spoil ? 🫣)

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four black-ops solders take on an impossible night mission with little hope of success. Just kidding!

In the depths of a purple-blue night four night stalkers our out with their nets in hopes of coming across something to catch. Actually only three of the stalkers have nets, the smallest seems to be tagging along. When they come across a bird the Little One cannot help but call out "Hello, Birdie" but is quickly hushed. "Shh! We have a plan."

Following the Rule of Threes the older trio creep stealthily upon the bird on the ground, in a tree, and out on a frozen pond, always failing to catch their prey. At last the Little One offers up some bread crumbs and they stalkers are suddenly surrounded by many birds. With the birds so close it seems as if catching them will easy until they realize they are outnumbers and outsized and off the run.

When they see a squirrel they turn to Little One. "Shh. We have a plan." And thus we end back where we started, with the stalkers unwilling to accept the truth and Little One shrugging at the reader.

Is it a lesson in respecting and protecting small creatures? The triumph of innocence over mischievous adventures? A subtle anti-hunting tract?

How about kids being kids?
Kids getting a notion in their head and proceeding with what they believe is a well-considered plan only to have it fail due, in part, to their own limited understanding of the real world.

Okay, I'll get out of the deep end now.

Stylistically, Shh! We Have a Plan is dark, but it's the darkness of night, the darkness of woods where even the light of the moon only makes things look various shades of blue. The human characters have a ragged torn-paper look to their edges while the natural elements have a cleaner simplicity to their shapes. The animals in particular, with their bright reds and greens and geometric shapes, are reminiscent of Alexander Girard without mimicry. A hat-tip in general to mid-century modern in both design and storytelling is owed here from Haughton who, it seems, has a genuine affinity for the naif.