Fire up those grills and pack your picnic baskets because National BBQ Day is coming up on May 16 and National Hamburger Day is on May 28! So spread a blanket out on the grass and read one of these yummy stories while you’re waiting for your ribs and burgers to finish cooking.
Nonfiction Craft and Cookbooks:
The No-Cook Cookbook
This cookbook helps children learn about making food by themselves–a skill that will last them a lifetime. The recipes in this no–cook cookbook will help children to gain independence in the kitchen and understand how to make healthy, yet very tasty meals with simple ingredients and no heat.
A Summer Treasury of Recipes, Crafts, and Wisdom
Packed with fun ideas to keep kids occupied during holidays or at weekends, readers can discover the joys of making natural shampoo, learn about honey harvesting, handprint a picnic blanket, craft a sun catcher, and follow tasty recipes for summertime treats such as homemade watermelon popsicles.
What’s cooking in Flowerville?: recipes from balconies, rooftops, and gardens
From spring’s asparagus and peas and summer’s cherries, cucumbers and peppers to autumn’s pears and squash and winter’s potatoes and citrus–twelve healthy ingredients are harvested in one of the townspeople’s gardens and then used to make an easy, delicious dish. As the year comes to a close, the town gathers for a giant picnic.
Unique projects for nature lovers
These unique projects will help you explore nature like never before. Use bits of nature to create your own journal paper. Construct a sundial to track the time. Craft a basket to hold a picnic lunch. Use your creations on your next outdoor adventure!
This is a tiny fragile snake
Would you help a tiny fragile snake? Fifteen poems explore close encounters with animals … and choosing to respond tenderly. Whether it’s helping a hummingbird escape, respecting a bear’s habitat, admiring a heron’s beauty, or giving way to ants at a picnic, the human response in these poems is to do no harm, and to help whenever possible.
Board Books:
Play With Me
A little child invites the reader to share a picnic playdate with them and their stuffed toy in the backyard in this interactive board book.
Out at the Park
Spin the wheel and spot the animals hiding in the pond, see what fun you can have at the playground, and head down to the picnic to enjoy a yummy surprise. Hands-on play supports learning, interaction, and imagination.
Leo at the Park
Leo spends the day at the park with his mother and his friend Suki playing on the swings, building a sandcastle, splashing in water, and having a picnic.
Picture Books:
Just Like You
When their family prepares for a picnic, our little toddler tries to help. They want to do everything the grownups are doing, but the results are…not ideal. Mud, lemon juice, and water end up everywhere! But this little one isn’t the only one making a mess–being “just like you” runs in the family! Toddlers won’t be able to resist this rhythmic text and vibrant illustrations.
Noura’s Crescent Moon
Noura can’t wait for the sun to go down. The month of Ramadan is almost over, and she and Mama and Papa are headed for the hills for a moonsighting picnic. It would be truly special if Noura’s first fast ended with a glimpse of a silvery crescent in the night sky. If the moon stays hidden, that means one more long day before Noura gets to put on her sparkly new dress and the joyful Eid celebrations begin!
Apple Pie Picnic
On a warm late summer afternoon we join Rosa and her family for a celebratory picnic where a specially-made apple pie takes center stage. This charming story delivers some beginning Spanish vocabulary as well as a lesson in plant life for young readers who will enjoy spending time with Rosa, her dog, Churro, and her entire family.
Danbi’s Favorite Day
Danbi invites her friends to celebrate Children’s Day like she did in Korea and is worried the picnic behind her parents’ deli falls short of the kites and magic train rides she promised her friends.
Hornbeam All In
Hornbeam the moose goes on a picnic with his best friend Eureka, sleeps over at his friend Cuddy’s house, and learns how to swim with Adorabelle.
Bear and Bird: The Picnic and Other Stories
Bear and Bird are best friends and spend a lot of time together. And while they don’t always understand each other, they each just want their friend to be happy. So when Bear forgets to pack for a picnic (but pretends that he didn’t), Bird doesn’t let on that she knew all along. And when Bird discovers that Bear has more of a certain talent than she does, Bear finds a touching way to show that he appreciates her.
Stick and Stone On the Go
Stick would go anywhere with his best friend, especially if they’re planning a picnic. But when picnics involve lemons and bees and caves, Stone’s not so sure. Join Stick and Stone as they go spelunking. Accompany them as they meet all sorts of new friends, including a big, fluffy monster!