Eating outdoors is a favorite experience for Betsy and her friends throughout the series. The tradition begins in Betsy-Tacy when Betsy and Tacy bring their supper plates to their special bench on the hill, away from their families. They share what is on each of their plates, with Mrs. Kelly’s cake especially prized, so Tacy always divides her piece — carefully and evenly — with Betsy. Then they eat, watch the sun set, and tell stories, mostly Betsy’s, until it grows dark and cold and they are called home.

In time, Betsy and Tacy obtain permission to climb and explore the Big Hill, going futher and further each time. They chart their path tentatively at first, more confidently later. They look down upon the town’s rooftops. They discover “places which belonged to them” (p. 21, Harper Trophy paperback edition, 1993). They fantastize about living on the hill someday. Eating outdoors and climbing the hill represent the girls’s cherished, burgeoning, independence.

Picnics remain popular in the digital age. The third week of June is National Picnic Week in the United States. Luxury picnics, in which fancy feasts are catered, take the trend to another level. But it is certainly not common for five-year-old children to eat meals and explore the outdoors separate from their families. In general, children are not allowed to be as independent as they were in past decades, due to safety fears. Betsy and Tacy were likely within view of their parents’ eyes when they picnicked on their bench, especially in the beginning, but in time they began to drift away from supervision when playing on the hill.

When Betsy and Tacy grew older, they would climb a bigger hill, and pack picnic baskets to overflowing, to enjoy with their friends, “the Crowd.” But there is a stark and simple warmth in the image of these small girls carrying standard-sized supper plates and glasses of milk to their own hillside bench, sharing food, laughter, stories, and dreams with one another. A version of this easy, warm practice could certainly be duplicated among modern picnickers young and old.

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For a short history of picnics, see: https://nationaltoday.com/national-picnic-day/