When We Go Camping

by Margriet Ruurs (Author), Andrew Kiss (Illustrator)



PreSchool-Grade 2-A dreamy, poetic text and rich, detailed paintings combine to create a book that evokes the sights, sounds, and smells of camping. Family members pitch a tent by a lake, hike, swim, canoe, and interact with their surroundings. The text celebrates the pure wilderness, and the characters are depicted as responsible campers-they hoist their cooler into a tree to protect it from bears, wear life jackets while out on the lake, and identify the correct berries to eat off the bushes. The illustrations show the birds, squirrels, and elk that the children and their parents tiptoe past on their hike. There are plenty of things on this camping trip for readers to examine-animals hide in the trunks of trees or in the lake. There is also the natural world to ponder-families of raccoons, birds, deer, and moose abound, and a key helps readers identify the creatures. This book will interest both those who have camped and those with camping trips yet to come. The only thing missing from this story is the mosquitoes.

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Ages 4-8. The thrill of getting close to nature comes across clearly in this book, which is as handsome as it is informative. A brother and sister are on a camping trip with their parents. As they pull their canoe into the water, birds are singing. It's time to explore. Later, there's work to be done: making a fire, preparing food, and hoisting the supplies up a tree so the bears won't get them. Hiking gives the family a chance to observe the way the animals live. Even as the sun falls, there's much to observe--from the stars in the sky, to the crickets chirping. A key at the back gives a bit of information about the animals that appear in each painting. The painterly art is a pleasure to look at. Its almost photographic reality gives children the feeling of being right in the picture. A good introduction for children who have never been camping, and a nice remembrance for those who have.