by Robyn Woods
Things are just more fun with a snack. When 3 o’clock rolls around, I am open to a snack of the salty, crunchy, sweet, or chocolatey variety.
Food and snacks are great partners with activities. Movies and popcorn, baseball games and a hot dog, going hiking with trail mix. The next time you’re reading, how about pairing it with a fun snack? This is a way to make reading even more fun for the whole family. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Start your day right and have breakfast with Narwhal and Jelly, and eat Narwhal’s favorite, waffles. Or enjoy hot buttered toast while reading a Mercy Watson book by Kate DiCamillo. Continue your morning with muffins and read If You Give a Moose a Muffin.
Go on a Very Hungry Caterpillar picnic. The Very Hungry Caterpillar has a buffet as he makes his way through the week. Before ending with a green leaf, he eats through an apple, pears, plums, strawberries, oranges, chocolate cake, an ice cream cone, one pickle, swiss cheese, salami, a lollipop, cherry pie, one sausage, a cupcake, and a slice of watermelon. That gives you plenty of choices for your own themed picnic.
Have an afternoon snack of cheese while reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid. You can pair crackers with cheese, touch a cheese plate, and have alphabet crackers with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom or any alphabet book.
If you want to try genre-snacking, you can pick up a thriller or mystery and snack on something with a good crunch, like a pretzel or a kettle cooked chip. Enjoy a romance novel or romantasy with a chocolate or sweet snack. There’s always time for dragon riders and a piece of cake. Try learning something new with fruit salad or a veggie tray. Non-fiction goes great with refreshing apple or orange slices.
Spend an afternoon with a cuppa tea while reading The Lord of the Rings is a cozy day in. You could make that even better by saving it for a rainy Spring day. Another option is to make a trail mix for your long journey to Mordor or for your journey through Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series.
Once you’ve tried your book snack pairing, you can try it with a book club or a group of friends. You can expand it to a meal with friends that revolves around a series of your choice. Once you have started book-snacking, the possibilities are endless.
While I do want you to enjoy your comfort snacking, please do not use your snack of choice as a bookmark. I also do not recommend any dips near your book. Find ways to make reading fun. Make it an experience. If you need book inspiration, please visit your local library.
Robyn Woods is Youth Services Librarian/Coordinator for the Adams County Library System.