The 25+ Best Picnic Books for Toddlers to Enjoy
Warmer weather and longer days mean it's picnic season! It's a great time to enjoy the outdoors and a delicious picnic with family and friends. Bring some picnic-themed books for beginner readers to keep young children entertained.
Our favorite books on picnics will keep them busy, whether you're at the park or in your backyard. Plus, having a best friend along makes it even more fun!
Don't forget to pack a good book with your picnic basket and blanket!
Board Books on Picnics
Board books are great for toddlers who are starting to read. These fun picnic books are made of thick, sturdy cardboard and have just a few words on each page. This lets your toddler enjoy the illustrations while learning basic facts about picnics without needing to read a lot of text.
1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Garden Picnic
Munch through different foods with The Very Hungry Caterpillar in this scratch-and-sniff board book! Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar Scratch-and-Sniff includes a sweet story about the classic character eating through his favorite foods and includes six fun scents to scratch and sniff on every spread for added fun. Little ones will love it!
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Goodreads: 4.2/5
2. Mouse's First Summer (Classic Board Books)
You could buy this book just for the unique beautiful coloring and illustrations alone! It is a simple book with only a couple of lines per page that I prefer the board book version which brings out the beauty of the illustrations even more than the paper version. This book is also a must-have for mouse lovers! Amazon review by N. Thanu
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Goodreads: 3.4/5
3. Jamberry
This bestselling classic features a berry-loving boy and an endearing rhyme-spouting bear. The fun wordplay and bright paintings with lots of details for young readers to explore make Jamberry a perennial favorite!
Amazon Rating: 4.9
4. Peter Rabbit Tales - A Spring Surprise
A sweet story about sharing, springtime celebrations, and a gentle message about the importance of friends. This is the fifth title in a new series of stories for the very young set in Peter Rabbit's world.
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Goodreads: 3.4/5
5. Let's Have a Picnic! (Fluorescent Pop!)
2 & 1/2 year old loves this story!! They love discussing the food items, their favorite ice cream flavor, and the objects on the playground in the story and how it’s similar/ different from the ones at their school or local park. Amazon Review by Debbie B.
Amazon Rating: 4.7
6. Corduroy's Shapes
Funny and goes along with all the other there was an old lady books. Perfect for my little frog lover. Rhyming is always fun. – Review by Nicole G
Amazon Rating: 4.9
Picture Books on Picnics
Picture books for toddlers tell more detailed stories about picnics. They have cute illustrations and text that parents can read aloud or that older kids can read by themselves.
7. The Bears' Picnic
When the Berenstain Bears set out to find the perfect spot for a picnic, Father Bear says he knows just the place. But each ideal location turns out to be a complete disaster, with a train roaring past or hordes of mosquitoes. At last, they find a place with no pesky crowds or noisy planes, and nary a mosquito . . . until it starts to rain. Another fun Berenstain adventure right up to the last page!!
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Goodreads: 4.1/5
8. Max and Marla Are Having a Picnic by Alexandra Boiger
Equal parts adorable and informative and with lots of kid appeal. I love the calming and engaging descriptions of each pose, and the illustrations are so cute and charming. My two year old already loves looking at the pictures and trying to imitate some of the poses, and I know we will use it together even more as she gets older. The author's note at the end is also great. – Review by Laurie Morrison
Amazon Rating: 4.8
9. Teddy Bear’s Picnic by Jimmy Kennedy
Throw in some picnic activities with the picnic song and you’re all ready for a Teddy Bear picnic themed party! If you go down in the woods today, you'd better go in disguise, For every bear there ever was, will gather there for certain because Today’s the day the Teddy Bears have their picnic.
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Goodreads: 4.1/5
10. The Perfect Picnic by Ciara Flood
Our family really enjoyed the author's debut children's book Those Pesky Rabbits. The Perfect Picnic is of the same standard, full of whimsy, sweetness and forgiveness:-) The gorgeous pictures alone make you want to have a picnic immediately, you can practically feel a balmy summer’s day as you turn the page. – Amazon review by Berry
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Goodreads: 4.1/5
11. The Lost Picnic by B. B. Cronin
Love these books so much! The illustrations are so beautiful, and colorful and have a vintage feel which I thoroughly appreciate. Lots of fun to go through with my girls. Amazon review by jenned
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Goodreads: 3.5/5
12. We're Going on a Picnic! By Pat Hutchins
A charming book! Pat Hutchins really tells two stories. One with her words and the other with her illustrations. – Review by KO’D
Amazon Rating: 4.7
13. Click, Clack, Quackity-Quack by Doreen Cronin
This alphabetical adventure for the very youngest fans of Duck brings alphabet books to a whole new level -- click, clack, quackity-quack! And your children will have as much fun as the animals … and learn their letters, too!
Amazon Rating: 4.6
Goodreads: 3.6/5
14. It's the Bear! by Jez Alborough
This is an all-time favorite! Seriously, it may be at the very top for cute stories. Fun to read and the kids love it! – Amazon review by KrisH
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Goodreads: 4.1/5
15. Duck and Hippo Lost and Found by Jonathan London
The illustrations are cute, the animal characters are colorful, and the story captivated my four-year-old, who enjoys books like the Henry and Mudge stories about a boy and a dog, or the Elephant and Piggie books from Mo Willems. Amazon review by himmelsgrau
Amazon Rating: 4.6
Goodreads: 3.8/5
16. Freda Plans a Picnic (I See I Learn) by Stuart J. Murphy
We first borrowed this book from our local library for my 4 year old. She loved the easy-to-follow story and enjoyed reading about the steps you take to plan a picnic. When we returned the book to the library she missed it so much that I purchased it for her. This is one book that she requests to read at least three times a week. – Amazon review by S. Sultan
Amazon Rating: 5.0
17. Bats at the Beach (A Bat Book) by Brian Lies
From Caldecott honor–winning and New York Times best-selling author-illustrator Brian Lies, a charming and lyrical beachy read perfect for summertime—or anytime. The first of many nighttime adventures with the award-winning Bat Book series – check them all out!
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Goodreads: 4.1/5
18. Good News, Bad News by Jeff Mack
This clever story is about two friends with very different dispositions as they search for a perfect picnic spot. Using just four words, Jeff Mack has created a text with remarkable flair that is both funny and touching, and pairs perfectly with his energetic, and hilarious, illustrations. Good news, this is a book kids will clamor to read again and again!
Amazon Rating: 4.6
Goodreads: 4.0/5
19. What This Story Needs Is a Munch and a Crunch by Emma J. Virjan
This book is perfect for beginner readers. Not only is it highly entertaining with fun artwork, it has repeat and rhyming words to help expand the child's sight vocabulary. The story is cute and will keep the child's attention. Pig is sure to become one of their favorite literary characters. Amazon review by Marcie
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Goodreads: 3.6/5
20. Peanut and Pearl's Picnic Adventure (My First I Can Read)
My daughter, 21 months old, found this book at the library and fell in love. She asks me to read this book to her every single night and we have talked about and discussed just about every single detail in it... so much so that we ended up buying it and now she reads it in the car every day. She LOVES it! Amazon review by Lindsey
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Goodreads: 3.4/5
21. Llama Llama Very Busy Springtime
My son enjoys reading all those llama llama books, it’s easy to read for a 5 year old and interesting to reread it all over again. Highly recommend! Amazon review by D Malishka
Amazon Rating: 4.5
22. Sun (Seasons with Granddad)
Lovely story of an adventure in the summer. Imaginative, sweet, my 4-year old wants the whole series! – Amazon review by Mariposa
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Goodreads: 3.6/5
23. The Rattlebang Picnic by Margaret Mahy
I love that this book teaches kids that family and spending time is more important than material possessions. The family gets in some jams and they all work together to get out of the jams. Too many kids books these days don't have anything worthwhile to teach and are just mindless reading. I feel like my kids have learned something by reading this book even though they don't realize it. This is a great story and any age can appreciate it. – Amazon review by mrich
Amazon Rating: 4.9
Goodreads: 3.8/5
24. We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past
After reading this picture book, I'm wishing my family had been getting together like that. A sweet tribute to times gone by for some and celebrating traditions that still stand for others. Amazon review by T. Bold
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Goodreads: 3.8/5
25. Mr. Putter & Tabby Row the Boat
This is a wonderful series of books with great messages, writing and pictures. We've loved every one that we have read. This one makes our four-year old laugh each time we read it. He loves this story, and it is a great one for summertime. – Amazon review by J. Williams
Amazon Rating:
Goodreads: 4.2/5
Whether your child is a new reader or more experienced, these preschool picnic books will keep them busy for hours. Combine reading with a fun picnic craft, like planning a picnic with play food and paper plates. This will create special core memories for your child!
Make sure to include story time to finish off a perfect family day!