5 Camping Themed Books for Kids

You know summer is here when you start to see RVs, boats, and cars loaded down with camping supplies heading down the highway. Whether you’re camping close to home or planning a bigger trip further away, here are some books to help introduce your kids to camping before they actually get there. From cooking to activities to setting up the tent, these books are sure to cover everything your child needs to know.

Cooking On A Stick: Campfire Recipes for Kids by Linda White tells kids everything they need to know about cooking over a fire. From chili to popcorn, this book is filled with old favourites in recipes that even a novice can cook. White also introduces kids to the basics of building a fire and discusses campfire safety. Beautiful illustrations accompany the recipes. Paperback. Gibbs Smith, 2000.

Kids Camp!: Activities for the Backyard or Wilderness by Laurie Carlson is a great book full of ideas for things to do while camping. Young campers will learn more about their environment, including insects, animals, and plants, and have fun while doing so. There are even ideas for rainy days. And if you can’t make it camping this summer, many of these ideas could be done in your backyard. Paperback. Chicago Review Press, 1995.

Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems by Kristine O’Connell George is a beautiful book of poetry that captures the spirit of camping for children. George turns every little camping moment into something memorable with her spirited, evocative verse, accompanied by Kate Kiesler’s vivid paintings. This book will help get young campers excited about camping—or remember the little things they enjoyed about their camping trip. Hardcover. Clarion Books, 2001.

S is for S'mores: A Camping Alphabet by Helen Foster James takes readers on an alphabetical tour of everything camping-related. From national parks to famous conservationists, camping snacks to camping equipment, James has it all covered in this book. Informational sidebars accompany James’ poetry to give readers more information about each topic discussed. Hardcover. Cherry Lake Publishing, 2007.

When We Go Camping by Margriet Ruurs follows one family on their camping trip, teaching children about what happens while camping and offering information about wildlife that campers might encounter. Each story had a hidden animal and tracks curving onto the next page. Beautiful artwork accompanies the story. Paperback. Tundra Books, 2004.

Of course, children may also enjoy going camping with their favourite literary friends in books like:

·       Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping by Melanie Watt

·       Curious George Goes Camping by H. A. Rey

·       Olivia Goes Camping by Alex Harvey

·       Fred and Ted Go Camping by Peter Eastman (aka Dr. Suess)

·       Just Me and My Dad by Mercer Meyer

·       Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping by Peggy Parish

Have you taken your children camping? What was their favourite camping memory?

This post contains affiliate links. If you want to buy any of the books mentioned above, click through to amazon.ca and you can buy directly. Any small profits from the affiliate link, then helps keep this blog going.

This is a guest post by contributor Bonnie Way. Bonnie Way went on her first overnight camping trip at age seven and has taken her daughters camping in a tent when they were each newborns. She’s looking forward to more camping trips this summer in a brand-new family-sized tent! When she’s not camping, she can be found blogging as The Koala Bear Writer.