Campingland

by Ame Dyckman, James Burks (Illustrator)

Overview

A New York Times bestselling author’s entertaining take on a quintessential outdoor experience—and why sometimes the best memories are a result of the unexpected—with laugh-out-loud illustrations.

A family’s excited to go camping! But they don’t know what they’re doing, and it does NOT go well. Then they see Campingland, a perfect indoor camping theme park! Perfect temperature. Perfect “fishing.” Perfect “animals.” But…PERFECTLY BORING!

Will they give outdoor camping another try? Be a little more prepared? A lot more relaxed? And NOT hug any skunks this time?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781662510830
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	07/01/2024
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	AD410L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Ame Dyckman is the award-winning author of many books for children, including Don’t Blow Your Top!, How Dinosaurs Went Extinct: A Safety Guide, and the New York Times bestselling Wolfie the Bunny. Ame lives with her family in beautiful central New Jersey. (It’s a little like camping, but with malls and pizza.) If you can’t make it to New Jersey, you can visit Ame on social media or at www.amedyckman.com.

James Burks has worked in the animation industry on various movies and television shows for many years. He is the creator of the graphic novel series Bird & Squirrel, Agent 9, and Haggis and Tank Unleashed. He is also the author-illustrator of the picture book Pigs and a Blanket, and he has illustrated many other picture books. James lives in Valencia, California. Visit him at www.jamesburks.com.

Editorial Reviews

04/01/2024

“We could do THAT!” are the fateful words a family of four exclaims while watching a camping-themed television show. But with zero planning and haphazard packing, the family proves totally unprepared for the gritty realities of the great outdoors. After they flee the campsite, a refuge looms into view. Campingland is an “indoor camping theme park,” where every detail is clean and digitized (“Fresh towel?” offers a giant robot skunk). In snappy vignettes that suggest early 1960s animation, Burks (the Bird & Squirrel series) chronicles the marked contrast in the family’s experiences camping and at Campingland. But perfect isn’t always best. The smallest family member observes that the spot is “fake-fake-FAAAAAKE!” and Dyckman (Don’t Blow Your Top!) notes, “It wasn’t easy or pretty, but our ‘bad’ camping trip still made for good family memories. Real family memories.” Kicked out of the utopia, the family gives the real outdoors another try—and this time, they discover that preparation and savvy can create both fun and a powerful bonding experience. Blending classic camping gags with trenchant satire, it’s an ideal comedy for a virtual reality–obsessed world. Human characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages up to 7. Author’s agent: Scott Treimel, Scott Treimel NY. Illustrator’s agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Blending classic camping gags with trenchant satire, it’s an ideal comedy for a virtual reality–obsessed world.” —Publishers Weekly

“Burks' digital illustrations hilariously illustrate the family’s mishaps with sharp comedic timing…A hilarious ending will bring another round of laughs from readers.” —Booklist

“Dyckman’s straightforward and energetic prose makes for an engaging story. The use of speech bubbles with a large, playful font for the dialogue encourages interactive participation for emerging as well as more proficient readers. Burks’s digital illustrations are full of humorous details. The candy-colored vistas of Campingland are in sharp contrast to the gray-weather outdoor scenes of the real campsite.” —The Horn Book Magazine

From the Publisher