Grab your sleeping bags and flashlights and cozy up with some of these fun camping books for kids… great reads for home or to take on a quiet activity at camp!
We love our library and have borrowed them to read with our children. You will notice that these children’s camping and camping books are all linked to amazon so you can easily find more information about the books listed below.
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Happy reading!
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camping books for young children
Although I enjoy reading picture books to my children of any age, the following may be more enjoyed by your younger preschoolers and toddlers when they are at camp.
curious george goes camping
by margaret and h.a. kings
My little boy loved this story when he was little. The illustrations are the same watercolors and charcoal we’ve come to expect with Curious George, and as usual George tries to be helpful, but things go wrong and adventure ensues. We used to bring our own copy of Curious George Goes Camping with us on all our camping trips to read together curled up in our sleeping bags before bed.
llama llama goes camping
by anna dewdney
While I will say that my kids weren’t huge llama llama fans, I know there are a lot of kids fanatics out there! So, I’ll put this one on the list of camping books too…because hey, what could be better for a llama fanatic than reading about their camping adventure while at camp!
Illustrated camping books
a camping spree with mr. mag
by chris van dusen
you can be sure that when mr. Magee and Ella Dee’s doggy friend are out and about to find more adventure than they bargained for! this series always delights. the story is funny with a nice rhyming rhythm and the illustrations are bright and exciting. a camping spree with mr. magee is a delight for both adults and children! this is perhaps one of my favorite camping books!
s is for s’mores, an alphabet for camping
by helen foster james and lita judge
If you’re looking for a camping storybook that offers plenty of reading and discussion, then this is it. each letter of the alphabet has a corresponding picture and a short verse. then, there are some paragraphs that explain the subject of that letter. for example, q is for quiet and the page talks about bird watching, birdsong, and nature song. s is for s’mores covers everything from adventures to zippers with everything related to nature, camping, and the outdoors in between. This book is perfect for reading with children between the ages of 4 and 10.
camp rex
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by inactive molly
This is a cute camping adventure book for little dinosaur lovers. The story follows a group of young dinosaurs who set out to find the perfect camping spot with lessons on outdoor adventures along the way. camp rex is sure to get young adventurers itching for a camping trip, whether it’s outdoors or just the backyard.
scary squirrel goes camping
by melanie watt
oh my god! these scary chipmunk books are some of my favorite books to read with my kids. I also especially like this one for camping because there are so many different things to talk about in the book… and it takes a little longer to read than a simple picture book of children’s stories. And, as with all the books in this series, Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping has humor, bright illustrations, and a nice, positive message at the end.
just me and my dad
by mercer mayer
This is one of the little critter series that so many little kids love. In this story, they go out on a night of camping adventures and the little guy does all the “camp work.” It is a sweet and short story. my kids love reading these books looking for the little spider on every page. just my dad and I would be appropriate for young preschoolers.
when we go camping
by margriet ruurs and andrew kiss
In this story, two boys share all about camping, hiking, and exploring nature. the children’s stories are accompanied by beautifully detailed paintings. kids will enjoy imagining themselves camping, hiking, and fishing in the wild on these pages. but, the real pleasure when we go camping is the animals hidden in each painting that you will have to look for. children from preschool to elementary age will enjoy this story.
do princesses make campers happy?
by carmela lavigna coyle and mike gordon
This book was highly recommended to me, but to be honest, it wasn’t a huge success for me or my daughter. though, the sentiment is positive: that girls can enjoy the outdoors even if they think they’re princesses… and there’s a whole series of “make princesses…” based on this idea. The images in do princesses make happy campers are lively, add detail to the story, and allow for conversation about the family’s outdoor adventures.
outdoors
by susan gal
While on the surface this picture book shares the story of a family going camping in the woods, Into the Woods is also a book that can help children become aware of their location in the outside world. the author emphasizes prepositions (words like behind, above, in, between, and between) and can be a useful tool for homeschooling or teaching.
It’s a good reminder that even when we’re outdoors, we’re still in close connection with the world around us…and these are comforting thoughts. it’s also a good grammar lesson 😉
black flies
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by robert munch and jay odjick
In true munch style, this is a children’s book full of adventure and silliness! Blackflies entertainingly tells the story of Helen and what it’s like to live up north with billions of black flies and mosquitoes.
If you’re willing to read this story with excitement and enthusiasm, your kids will love it. And, if he knows firsthand what it’s like to live with billions of black flies and mosquitoes, then this story will be even better!
the scout bears
by stan and jan berenstain
this is old, but it’s good! In Bear Scouts, Papa Bear decides that he knows more than the bear scout guide about the boy’s camping trip. The book is full of Dad’s silly mishaps and mistakes as he continues on the hike and camping trip. The writing is that this book has a good rhyming rhythm and is full of colorful illustrations that we all love with all berenstain bear books.
camper cole and the treasure hunt walk
by Amy Mueller and Brigid Malloy
This is a fun little camping book that would be nice to take on a real camping trip. encourages kids to go on an adventure and explore as the boy in the book goes on his own scavenger hunt. There’s even some learning about nature and safety woven into the story, bonus!
some other favorite camping books for kids
national parks of the united states
by kate siber
This is a beautiful book! it is less a storybook and more a reference guide. But it’s absolutely the perfect book to take with you if you’re going camping in America’s national parks. there is much to read, watch and learn in this book. I especially like the vintage touch of the colors and the illustrations. The National Parks of the United States really should be a part of your natural history book collection!
gone camping, a novel in verse
by tamera will wissinger and matthew cordell
If you’re looking for a more challenging reading book for older kids, you’ll love this one! The entire book is a compilation of stand-alone poems, but when read from cover to cover it tells the story of two boys who go camping with their grandfather. what a great idea! Another cool feature of Gone Camping, A Novel in Verse is the black and white illustrations that also tell the story very accurately without you needing to read any of the words.
Parents trying to foster a love of prose and camping enthusiasts will enjoy this book for a variety of reasons. But, the great learning bonus for homeschool teachers and families comes at the end of the book. here the author describes numerous forms of poetry and writing techniques. this is really an interesting book!
I hope you’ve found some camping book recommendations that you can read with your kids. Books are the perfect way to spark a child’s interest and introduce them to new activities and ideas. happy reading and happy camping!
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