Behind the Book & an Activity . . . with Wendy BooydeGraff!

Author Wendy BooydeGraff is visiting the Cottage today to share what inspired her warm and winning new picture book, SALAD PIE -- and an imaginative activity to do with your little ones! Then scroll down for Lunches with Love's delicious SALAD PIE lunch!

Salad Pie was inspired by my oldest daughter, playing at the park. That’s where she said those words, “salad” and “pie” together, and I thought they sounded so unique and creative that I repeated them over and over on our walk home so I wouldn’t forget.

When my daughter went for her afternoon rest (not a nap—never a nap), I started scribbling out a story. I sketched out the action in a rough storyboard format (really rough) and wrote the text under each picture. Every time I went back to it, I still liked it, which was how I knew to keep working on it until it became a book.

From SALAD PIE by Wendy BooydeGraaff. Illustration copyright 2016 by Bryan Langdo.

Try this fun SALAD PIE Activity!

This activity can be adapted so many ways. For instance, if you are a preschool teacher, you can give children a bin to go around the room and collect some items from the various centers to make their own “pretend recipe." After the given time, call children back to the circle where they can share what recipe they made and what the ingredients are.

Another variation is to make a collage. Give students a piece of construction paper. Have them draw some sort of container for their “pretend recipe” and then have them cut and paste items in it (dried pasta, buttons, string, scrap paper, magazine pictures, leaves, twigs). Children can write their own recipe or dictate their recipe to an adult.

You can find more crafts and activity ideas for home, library and school on the Salad Pie Pinterest Board.

Wendy BooydeGraaff grew up making mud pies on a fruit farm in Ontario, Canada. She now lives in Michigan with her family, where she whips up all kinds of salads and all kinds of pies. Salad Pie is her first book. Visit her at wendybooydegraaff.com.