8 Picture Books to Read at Snack Time

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Nutritionals, LLC Subsidiary the makers of LACTAID®. The opinions stated are my own. This is a

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My girls call graham crackers and milk, “the babysitter snack” because that’s usually what they have on the afternoons when one of our babysitters comes over.

But, frankly, it’s one of our go-to snacks, whether or not a babysitter is around, and we always have a box or two of graham crackers in the pantry (chocolate is the girls’ favorite flavor, I like cinnamon best).

I basically can’t stand to eat cookies or graham crackers without milk, but in the last year, I’ve noticed that drinking milk seems to be hard on my stomach, so I’ve started swapping out regular milk for LACTAID®, which tastes just like regular milk but doesn’t have any lactose in it.

I originally bought LACTAID ® just for me, but my girls seems to prefer it to regular milk (even though it tastes the same) – I don’t know if they think the red container is more fun or what.

Regardless, it’s nice to have a quick snack that everyone will eat and we can focus on more important things like picking library books to read while we eat.

Here are eight of the best picture books that are just right for reading with the babysitter snack. No babysitter (or lactose!) required.

The Best Picture Books to Read with a Snack

The Opposite Zoo by Il Sung Na
I love a good opposite book, and I really love Il Sung Na’s dreamy illustrations. In this one, the animals at the zoo are contrasted against each other – a tall giraffe and a short pig, a soft tiger and a prickly hedgehog. It’s so friendly and sweet; just the kind of book you could give at a baby shower or a first birthday.

Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayre
This book is breathtaking. The photos of water and rain all over different objects, from leaves to caterpillars, are just ridiculously magical, and the sparse text is poetic and perfect. I could really look at this book all day long.

Diana’s White House Garden by Elisa Carbone, illustrated by Jen Hill
Based on a true story (with more details and photos in the back of the book), this is the story of Diana Hopkins who lived in the White House with her dad, who is FDR’s chief advisor. Diana wants to be part of the war effort, but can’t figure out how until FDR announces his plan for victory gardens and Diana helps Eleanor Roosevelt plant the White House victory garden and ends up on the front of national newspapers.

The Bad Birthday Idea by Madeline Valentine
When a little sister, desperate for her brother to play with her, asks for a robot for her birthday (top of the line, of course), he secretly opens it before her party and then, whoops! breaks it. What’s a big brother to do? Hide it, of course, and wait the day of reckoning to arrive. With three little girls who are constantly navigating sibling life, this book definitely hit on themes that arise in our home too.

Playtime? by Jeff Mack
Jeff Mack is the master of books with only a few words – years ago, Ella and I read Good News,Bad News about ten thousand times, which only included four words used in super clever ways. This book is the same, revolving around every possible use of “playtime” and “bedtime” you can imagine. It’s especially endearing because it’s a little boy trying to put his gorilla to bed, instead of a parent putting a child to bed.

A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
William Carlos Williams is one of my favorite poets and Ella has been memorizing some of his more famous poems this year, so it was a great time to break out a favorite picture book of mine. I don’t think there could be an illustrator better suited to Williams’ poetry than Melissa Sweet, and I love learning more about the poet behind the famous poetry.

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
This is one of my favorite classic picture books – I remember my mom reading it to me when I was young and I’ve now read it hundreds of times to my own girls. I’ve also thought that maybe cap sales isn’t the business I want to go into.

That’s Not Bunny! By Chris Barton, illustrated by Colin Jack
Poor Hawk! All he wants is a tasty rabbit meal but he keeps getting tricked into snagging a vegetable instead. Is he a carrot hawk or a HAWK hawk? This book is perfectly suited for reading aloud – you can’t help but use a really animated voice when you’re sharing it with your kids.

If you liked this post about the best picture books to go along with a snack, you might also like these other posts:

• 8 Great Picture Books for Beautiful Spring Days
• 8 Picture Books for September Afternoons
• 8 Picture Books for Reading on the Porch Swing