Saturday, April 16, 2011

When We Go Camping by Margriet Ruurs

When We Go Camping
Illustrated by Andrew Kiss. Tundra Books, Toronto, 2001.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 978-0887764769.

The acrylic paintings in this book are lovely, and make the Canadian wilderness and wildlife come alive with richly-hued textures. The text is a child’s simple description of the wonders of the natural world surrounding the campsite, and of the activities traditionally engaged in while camping. At the end, a legend directs you back to each painting to locate an animal, and gives a short factual paragraph regarding characteristics or behavior common to that creature. 

While this book will work as a group read-aloud about camping, the animal details and real natural beauty depicted are best seen close-up by one or two. Unless children have experienced camping at a very young age, the content may be best understood by those aged 3 and up.

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