Wolf Camp
By Katie McKy
Tanglewood Books, ages 4–8, $15.95
What did Maddie learn at Wolf Camp? Well, she returns home with a carnivorous appetite, bizarrely keen hearing, and a propensity to howl with fire truck sirens. Maybe she liked Wolf Camp a little too much? Young kids will laugh at Maddie’s canine habits and have fun dreaming up what she — and they! — might learn at Bear Camp next summer.
Cowboy Camp
By Tammi Sauer
Sterling Publishing, ages 4–8, $14.95
Avery is at Cowboy Camp, but he doesn’t like cowboy food, he’s allergic to horses, and he gets rope burns from the lasso. What kind of a cowboy is that? He gets the chance to prove his cowboy mettle, however, when Black Bart, a bad-guy cowboy, threatens to put Cowboy Camp out of business. Cowboy Avery is a hero who will have young readers cheering him on.
Bug Bites and Campfires: A Story for Kids About Homesickness
By Frank J. Sileo, Ph.D.
Health Press NA, Inc., ages 9–12, $14.95
Andy’s excited about his first trip to sleep-away camp, until homesickness sets in: The hamburgers aren’t as tasty as his dad’s and he doesn’t feel like joining in the soccer game. Counselor Mike gives him a pep talk: Homesickness doesn’t last long, but to make it go away you have to do things to help yourself, too. Older campers might find this illustrated book a bit preachy — there’s certainly not much of a plot — but younger campers will find it a good starting point for tough conversations.
Camp Kit: Tons of Cool Stuff for a Summer of Fun
By Jonathan Kauffman
Chronicle Books, ages 9–12, $15.95
A journal, a star chart, postcards, and a special pen — this kit does indeed include tons of cool stuff to tuck into your camper’s duffle bag. Or, if most of the camping this summer will be taking place in the backyard or the living room, what a great way to make camping at home that much more fun and authentic. It all comes wrapped up in a handy plastic case.
Grandma’s Bag of Tricks
By Sharon Lovejoy
Workman Publishing, $14.95
A few years ago we published a story about one family’s Nana Poppa Fun Camp, to truly enthusiastic response. How many of us have wonderful memories of spending a week or so with the best camp counselors around, our grandparents? Keeping little ones entertained for a day or a week or a summer, however, is a special art. Sharon Lovejoy, a gardener and grandmother, has put together instructions for 130 activities — for indoors and out — that grandparents and grandchildren can share.
P.S. I Hate it Here: Kids’ Letters from Camp
By Diane Falanga
Abrams Image, $12.95
This is not a book you want to hand to your camper before packing her off on the bus. Instead, it’s one you want to keep for yourself and cackle over on a child-free evening, preferably far away from the scent of bug spray and the sound of “Skinnamarinkydinkydink.” Diane Falanga has collected 150 fall-on-the-floor funny real letters from campers and reproduced them with their elementary-school handwriting and spelling intact. You might wonder whether you’ll be getting missives like “P.S. I tried to run away but they caught me (seriously)” or “I just have to write this so they know I sent a letter home” this summer, but either way you’ll know that other parents have been there before you.
