My Favorite Lunches of 2013

The Bento Bloggers & Friends Group is having a BBF linky party for their favorite 13 lunches made in 2013. I thought it would be fun to join in. I really had trouble trying to decide which 13 lunches to include. For me, choosing the lunches is more about the connections Boogs and I made to the books rather than what the lunches look like. But, in no particular order, I narrowed it down to these: (click each picture to link back to the original post)



Me On the Map by Joan Sweeney

I loved the activity Boogs and I did with this book. We made a concentric circle craft to show his place on the map.

Good Boy, Fergus by David Shannon

I just love the way this Fergus sandwich turned out. Boogs liked the messes created by Fergus.

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

I love BBF hops and usually take a little bit more time making lunches for them. I was surprised how well the Toto basket sandwich turned out.

Face to Face with The Hamster by Paul Starosta, Hamsters by Susan Merideth, and My Pet Hamster by Anne Rockwell

Boogs got his first pet this past year. Our family has been all about hamsters since April.


Morris Goes to School by B. Wiseman

Boogs chose this book as his first book for the 2013 summer reading program. He reads on grade level but is a reluctant reader. I try to foster a love of reading in Boogs and the bribes, I mean prizes, from the summer reading programs sure do help.


The Opposite by Tom McRae

This was such a fun book to read and I loved Boogs' reaction to it.

The Naked Lady by Ian Wallace

This book inspired a wonderfully creative outing with Boogs to a local sculpture garden.


I Need My Own Country! by Rick Walton

This book inspired a week's worth of creative fun and learning with Boogs. Our country flags are still taped to our door frames four months later.

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

For the past three years, I have sent a Kissing Hand lunch for Boogs on the first day of school. It has become our back-to-school tradition.

Skylanders Giants Master Eon's Official Guide Book

Boogs is obsessed with Skylanders. He talked about them for a year before he owned one. He has even requested a Skylanders birthday party in 2014.

The Greedy Apostrophe: A Cautionary Tale by Jan Carr

This book sparked a few fun learning activites about apostrophes and plurals. I thought the apostrophe's eyebrows in the illustrations were too good not to try and replicate.

Leaf Trouble by Jonathan Emmett

This was such a sweet book about a squirrel trying to save his tree. I loved all of the beautiful illustrations. It was also pretty neat that the author tweeted about this lunch.

Captain Arsenio Inventions and (Mis)Adventures in Flight by Pablo Bernasconi

We read this book over and over again. I even took it to school and shared it with my classes. The illustrations and descriptions of Arsenio's attempts to fly are hilarious! I also really liked the "never give up" message of the book.

To see all of the other BBF Top 13 posts, click the button below to view the linky party.

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.