Little Fox has a plan: gather the best fruits and vegetables at the farmers market and surprise his friend Owl with a picnic. That simple, sweet errand carries a whole first lesson in food words, friendship and doing something kind for someone you love, painted in the soft watercolors the Our Little Adventure series is known for.

Author and illustrator Tabitha Paige is a licensed speech language pathologist, and it shows in the best way: the story reads aloud in a gentle rhythm, the market vocabulary is chosen for early talkers, and a labeled produce spread in the back turns rereads into a naming game your toddler will start winning surprisingly fast.

Thick board pages, a hand friendly 6.5 by 7.5 inch trim, and a story that makes Saturday market trips feel like an event. Lovely on its own, even better tucked into a market basket as a gift.