Reading can stretch a child’s imagination and transport them to a different world. They can learn important life lessons, but nobody wants to read a book when it’s made to feel like a chore.

If you’d like to encourage your child’s fascination with fiction, why not try bringing books to life with a literary lunch or picnic this summer?

Packing your own snacks when you’re out and about over the summer holidays can be a great way to save money. If you’re hopping on a train somewhere or just going for a walk in the park, you could bring a book for your child to read and arrange some food that’s inspired by its story.

Your child may already have a favourite book at home you could use, but don’t forget to check out your local public library if you want to pick up some children’s books for free.

Here are our top 10 lunch ideas to help your child feel like they’re part of their story:

• Winnie-the-Pooh. It’s got to be honey! As well as eating it straight out the jar, you could try some honey-glazed meat or vegetables. Why not drizzle some honey into a pot of yoghurt? You could also pack some strawberries and bananas inspired by Winnie’s iconic red and yellow look.
• The Tiger Who Came to Tea. Make a sandwich using tiger bread. Pack a flask of tea or encourage children to drink more water as they act like the tiger who drank all the water out of the tap.
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar. You don’t have to eat all these options and potentially get stomach ache like the caterpillar did, but he feasted on apples, pears, plums, strawberries, oranges, chocolate cake, a strawberry ice cream cone, a pickle, a slice of Swiss cheese, a slice of salami, a lollipop, a piece of cherry pie, a sausage, a cupcake and a slice of watermelon.
• Madeline. Try some food inspired by France and add the fillings of your choice to a croissant, crêpe, brioche or baguette.
• The Borrowers. Eat mini pizzas, baby carrots or other miniature-sized treats. You could also add some sugar snap peas in honour of the character Pod.
• A Bear Called Paddington. The obvious choice here is marmalade sandwiches – Paddington’s favourite! You could also create an orange theme and serve orange juice, carrots, squash, pumpkin, melon or peppers.
• The BFG. Bring your own snozzcumbers which could be cucumbers, courgettes or gherkins. Turn them into a salad or some vegetable skewers. The BFG also enjoyed a green fizzy drink called frobscottle, so you could include a fizzy drink or make a green smoothie.
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Eat some breadstick ‘wands’ with a dip of your choice. As Hagrid grew enormous pumpkins for the Halloween feast you could take a flask of pumpkin soup or try drinking some pumpkin juice, a popular drink amongst witches and wizards.
• The Hobbit. Hobbits are known for their love of food, they even manage to fit in a second breakfast. Why not enjoy a breakfast wrap? There’s one ring to rule them all but you could pack some onion rings, pineapple rings, a doughnut or a bagel.
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It was tasty enough to tempt Edmund – try some Turkish Delight. Other food the children enjoyed included ham sandwiches, eggs, toast and sardines.

We believe reading can help children to develop their creativity which is why we’re proud to partner with Coventry Rugby Club and deliver Rugby & Reading in schools.

Rugby & Reading is a programme designed to inspire disadvantaged children to read more. It supports children aged between five and 11 as they experience an hour of engaging storytelling, before enjoying a hands-on game of tag rugby. If you’d like to find out more about how we partnered with Coventry Rugby Club, you can read our article.

We hope our ideas have given you some food for thought and you’re feeling inspired to create a cost-effective literary lunch to encourage your child to read this summer.