Lunches September 24th - 28th

Boogs' lunches are inspired by the books we read at bedtime the previous evening. Each night, Boogs reads one book to me and I read a book or a chapter of a book to him. I usually post his lunches once a week. Click on the "lunches" label at the end of this post to see lunches from previous weeks.

The Looking Book by P.K. Hallman
Two young brothers are watching television when their mother tells them to turn off the t.v. and go outside to play. The boys protest loudly until their mother hands them a very strange surprise, lookers. Lookers are glasses without lenses. The mother encourages the boys to use the lookers to see things outside they have never noticed. The lookers opened up a whole new world to the boys and made them ignore their television. In the Laptop lunchbox: chocolate chip banana bread muffin with fruit leather lookers, cheese butterflies, duck, and flower, salami twigs, tomatoes for ladybugs, raspberries, and carrots.

 Boogs and I went looking this past weekend on our sunrise walk. Another walker told us about a bee tree. We found the bee tree right off one of the walking paths. We got pretty close and just watched them for a while. Boogs did not like it when one bee bounced off his head.

Wodney Wat's Wobot by Helen Lester
Wodney is unable to pronounce the letter R. His friends get him a special robot for his birthday. When Wodney whispers to the wobot, it pronounces correctly whatever Rodney Rat has said.  A big bully makes Wodney and all of his friends tremble. Luckily, Wodney's wobot saves the day. Boogs thought this was a cute story. In the ELB lunchbox: pepperoni pizza, cheese letters, plum slices, and salad with a cucumber robot.

 

Bravery Soup by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Carlin the raccoon is afraid of everything. He approaches Big Bear, the bravest animal of all, to help him get some courage. Big Bear sends him on a journey to bring back the secret ingredient to bravery soup. Carlin must complete the journey through the Forbidden Forest all by himself. Carlin's journey helps him develop bravery and courage. In the Laptop Lunchbox: pb&j fox, boiled egg Carlin the raccoon, okra chips for the Forbidden Forest, blueberries for the perilous river, and applesauce "Bravery Soup". (Thanks Bent On Better Lunches for the idea of turning a paper muffin cup upside down for extra cuteness!)

The Monster Who Ate My Peas by Danny Schnitzlein
The boy in this story HATED peas and wished they would disappear. His wish came true when a disgusting, rotten sardine smelling, bloated bodied, gruesome monster appeared and offered to eat the peas... for a price. The boy chose to give up his soccer ball and bike so he would not have to eat peas. Boogs was very concerned about the boy when he made these trades. He said, "That was not a good trade. I am really sad for that boy. The monster is just going to keep coming back until the boy has traded away his mother and father and maybe even his self. That would be the last thing he could trade."  When the monster came around the third time and said it would cost the boy his cute little puppy, the boy decided to eat the peas. As he chewed his first pea, the boy had to admit that the pea tasted good. Boogs really liked the ending "And now there's not one single food I won't try. If others can eat it... well then, so can I. I am happier now than I have ever been, and I never will trade with a monster again!" When I told Boogs I was going to put peas in his lunch he was disgusted. Boogs does not eat cooked veggies. I repeatedly serve them to him, but he does not like mushy vegetables. He eats a good variety of raw veggies. I expect to see that teeny tiny container of peas come home with every pea in it.
In the ELB lunchbox: sloppy pb&j rolled sandwich (it was not supposed to be sloppy but sometimes things just don't work out), Babybel boy frowning at some peas, berry yogurt with a frozen yogurt "sardine" on top in a Mini Dipper, raspberries, carrots, and broccoli. 

Wild Boars Cook by Meg Rosoff and Sophie Blackhall
Whew! These little boars sure do make pigs of themselves. They scarf down everything from pickles to cookbooks. While Doris was eating a page in the cookbook, she noticed an interesting recipe for pudding with ingredients including broccoli and squid. Boogs said he would never eat that pudding but he would eat broccoli. In the ELB lunchbox: pig ham & cheese sandwich, pickles, yogurt in a Mini Dipper, pretzels, broccoli, and an apple.

Did you notice that perfectly cut out pig face on Boogs' sandwich? I was fortunate enough to receive an all-in-one bento tool from CuteZCute. The set comes with four different cutter/stamps - frog, pig, panda, and cat - 1 outer face cutter frame, and an assist pick to help get small pieces out of the cutter. It was so easy to use. I plan on using it often.


Be sure to check out the wonderful sites I link to on my sidebar! If you want to see more book inspired lunches, click on the "lunches" label at the end of this post or go to My Story Themed Lunches board on Pinterest. I would love for you to leave a comment to let me know you stopped by.