Camping Gear and Outdoorsy Books

Sometimes it comes around to birthday or Christmas and you find yourself thinking that your kids have everything they need. But you can’t exactly give them nothing. Perhaps you’ve no longer got toddlers and it’s time to think about the experiences you want your kids to have. Camping is a great experience – note: it is not a holiday. It will be tough and dirty and require planning and forgoing comforts, but it will be an experience your kids will remember for a long time.

We definitely don’t camp that much, but in the past, we have gifted things like sleeping bags, stretchers and camping chairs. They come in handy when we have a fire in the backyard, cousin sleepovers, or when we put up the tent and ‘camped’ in the backyard during Covid lockdowns.

For anyone willing, here are a few books that go along with the outdoorsy theme.

Camping, by Bluey

There are lots of great Bluey episodes, but this is such a memorable one. While camping with her family Bluey meets a non-English speaking friend, Jean Luc. It’s such a testament to the adaptability and patience kids have to work out how to communicate. And of course, this is the episode where we get to see a teenage Bluey, which is really special.

Hike, by Pete Oswald

I guess there isn’t exactly ‘camping’ in this book, but the story is about a father and son going out into the bush/forest/wilderness to complete a very special task. They come across wildlife, waterfalls, and wonders as they climb to their destination. This is a wordless picture book, which I adore. After one read you will see that text would have spoiled the story.

Daisy and the Trouble with Nature, by Kes Gray and Garry Parsons

Daisy’s school has just installed a nature area, but there is no actual ‘nature’ in it yet. Not a plant or an insect or even a bird. She bands together with her classmates to rectify that problem. And when Daisy’s best friend, Gabby says her dad will take them camping, Daisy is beyond excited and they make more plans to trap some nature and bring it back to school. Laugh out loud funny, as per usual for this series.

Alvin Ho Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters, by Lenore Look and LeUyen Pham

The second in the Alvin Ho series, this illustrated chapter book is great for 7-10-year-olds confident readers who like a bit of humour. In the first book, Alvin explored his fear of girls and here he is going to face his fear of the great (or not so great) outdoors. It’s wonderful to see a main character with a non-caucasian background be the centre of the story, similar to Weir Do.

Be Prepared, by Vera Brosgol

You can probably tell from my posts that we have some big graphic novel fans in our house and this was an early read for us – I can’t believe it’s almost 4 years since I first reviewed it. Semi-autobiographical, the main character is a 9-yr-old Russian immigrant going to an American summer camp for the first time. It is somewhat of an awakening and fortifying experience as she deals with older girls, being away from family, and assimilating culture.

If you loved El Deafo, by Cece Bell, this is a must.