When We Go Camping
Written by Margriet Ruurs
Paintings by Andrew Kiss
Tundra Books, ISBN 0-88776-476-2
US $14.95 / CAN $17.99

What could be more fun than a day of camping? There’s wood to chop for the campfire and fish to catch for lunch. Then it’s time to go exploring, climbing rocks, splashing in mountain lakes while looking for minnows, and spying animals among the shadows of the woods. As afternoon turns to evening, there’s supper to get ready and stargazing by the campfire before unrolling sleeping bags and the end of a perfect day. Adding to the fun is a set of tracks on each page and a hidden animal in each illustration!

When We Go Camping is as instructive as it is delightful. Each painting highlights the tracks of one animal, which curve from the text into the illustration, and readers can turn to a helpful glossary for more details about the wildlife depicted.

Reviews
This book is surprisingly entertaining because the author and illustrator nail the experience of family camping. The story’s emphasis is not on plot or character but on taking the reader on his or her own nature adventure. Ruurs’ uses simple first-person prose that gives the book its you-are-there feeling. There is magic in the images and richness in the details… An outstanding nature book.
– Vancouver Sun

Available through all bookstores.

Educator’s Guide: When We Go Camping Guide302

Used with permission of Tundra Books. All rights reserved