Here’s something I haven’t done in a long time: go on a picnic. I don’t need an excuse to do it, but if I did, July is the perfect time because — wait for it — it’s National Picnic Month! If, dear readers, dining alfresco sounds agreeable to you as well, may I offer bibliographic assistance as you plan and prepare your perfect prospective picnic? I promise to put a pause on this pointless alliteration. Positively.
Now, what makes for a grand picnicking experience? Food, location, company and, oh, did I mention food? Sure, you can grab a bag of fast food and plop down in a park, but where’s the joie de vivre in that? Do National Picnic Month proud by preparing some delicious picnic basket fare ahead of time. In the reading list below, I present four different cookbooks devoted to outdoor eating and entertaining. I’ve included a vegetarian title because there’s more to out-of-doors dining than hot dogs and hamburgers.
If your picnic attendees include little ones, consider going to the library and checking out some picnic-themed picture books. To help you get started, I am recommending two titles: “Auntie Yang’s Great Soybean Picnic” by Ginnie Lo and Beth Lo and “Max and Marla are Having a Picnic” by Alexandra Boiger.
The first book is a delightful story about a Chinese-American family’s picnic tradition (hint — it includes soybeans). What makes the book extra special is that the author and illustrator are sisters, and the book is based on their childhood experiences. The second book, “Max and Marla are Having a Picnic” is entirely fictional but no less delightful. Max, a boy, and Marla, an owl, are best friends. Each year they celebrate the start of spring “with a picnic extraordinaire down by the lake.” The fact that an owl and a child are buddies is charming enough, but demonstrating their friendship through an adorable picnic tale makes this picture book one of my new favorites.
