A Smorgasbord of Picture Books About School Lunches
Happy Tuesday, kidlit friends! Today is my daughter’s first day of first grade, and I will likely be crying off and on all day. On Sunday, I reviewed back-to-school children’s books. Today, I’m focusing specifically on school lunches. But first, here are two great new releases!
New Releases
The Dictionary Story by Oliver Jeffers, illustrated by Sam Winston
It will probably come as no surprise to Oliver Jeffers readers that his latest picture book is ambitious, imaginative, and incredibly detailed. It’s about a dictionary who longs to tell a story like the other books on the shelf. So she decides to use some of her words for a story, but the words get a little out of hand and cause much chaos. Beyond the main story, the background illustrations of her pages show funny word definitions. There’s so much detail. It’s a longer-than-average picture book, and possibly my favorite by Jeffers so far. It’s sure to get lots of laughs.
Who’s in Charge? by Stephanie Allain & Jenny Klion, illustrated by Marissa Valdez
This is a vibrantly illustrated and joyous picture book about consent, boundaries, and bodily autonomy. It follows a simple but catchy pattern: “Who’s in charge of your [body part]?” “I am!” Each phrase is accompanied by kids playfully using that body part, like blowing bubbles for “lips” and snorkeling for “thighs.” It’s the kind of picture book toddlers and preschoolers will want to read on repeat. It’s a perfect picture book to introduce consent and boundaries to those age groups.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Picture Books About School Lunches
When I was in school, I felt like only rich kids brought school lunches. Most of us at my elementary school had free or reduced lunches. I’ve since learned that it’s often the opposite at other schools; it can be cheaper to bring your own lunch! My daughter’s school also has free lunches, but I know that’s not often the case.
There are also cultural factors to bringing your own lunch to school, as many of these picture books show. Bringing lunch to school can be a taste of home and a taste of a child’s culture.
Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry Mo
This is such a heartwarming picture book about immigration. Jun has moved from Hong Kong to America and only knows a few English words. She writes the words on her palm so she won’t forget, but at school, she keeps saying the wrong things, and she feels overwhelmed by all the unfamiliar sounds. That is, until lunch. When she opens up her lunchbox, she’s surrounded by home and all her favorite foods. This is one of my favorite picture books released this year.
This is Not My Lunchbox! by Jennifer Dupuis, illustrated by Carol Schwartz
While the other picture books are about school lunches, this one is a different kind of book. A child is on a camping trip and it’s time for lunch. Every time he opens his lunchbox, inside is a critter’s lunch, not his. This is a fun picture book exploring the diets of different forest animals.
What’s That? by Karen Chan, illustrated by Basia Tran
On Jax’s first day of school, his grandmother packs him all his favorite Chinese dishes for lunch. However, at lunchtime Jax notices everyone else is eating sandwiches. He sits by himself, too embarrassed to eat. Then Meena sits beside him and shares her food, and the two strike up a conversation and a friendship over their shared delight in food.
Lunch from Home by Joshua David Stein, illustrated by Jing Li
This picture book has a similar premise but is broader in its approach by centering four children with different cultural backgrounds. Preeti brings dhokla cake, Mina brings gimbap, Niki brings a bagel with lox, and Ray brings a tortilla. As they sit down to eat their culturally diverse lunches, sandwich-eating students make fun of them, and the next day, the students bring sandwiches instead. However, do they really want to eat the same thing every day?
Bookish Good
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My daughter’s stuffed cats went to the ‘library’ (our bookshelves) and checked out some cat books for home. What’s not shown in this picture are the dozens of other cat stuffed animals with books on the floor, making for perilous walking.
If you’d like to read more of my kidlit reviews, I’m on Instagram @BabyLibrarians, X @AReaderlyMom, Bluesky @AReaderlyMom, and blog irregularly at Baby Librarians. You can also read my Book Riot posts. If you’d like to drop me a line, my email is kingsbury.margaret@gmail.com.
All the best,
Margaret Kingsbury
