Books About Summer and Camp

Even the child who seems ready to plunge into summer fun may be anxious about trading the predictable routine of school for new adventures in a new place. Reading a book together about summer or camp can help you and your child talk about any worries she may have. Books About Summer and Camp Child Care Aware, a national organization that helps parents connect with child-care resources in their communities, offers this book list:

For younger children:

• Arthur Goes To Camp by Marc Brown. (Little, Brown, 1984)
• Pig Pig Goes To Camp by David McPhail. (Puffin Books,1987)
• Raymond's Best Summer by Jean Rogers. (Greenwillow, 1990)
• The Berenstain Bears Go To Camp by Stan Berenstain. (Random House Books for Young Readers, 1982)
• Sophie's Knapsack by Catherine Stock. (Lothrop Lee & Shepard, 1988)

  For older readers:

• Buddies by Barbara Park. (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1985)
• Camp Pinetree Pals by Judy Baer. (Pages Publishing Group, 1991)
• A Wonderful, Terrible Time by Mary Stolz. (Harpercollins, 1967)
• Hail, Hail Camp Timberwood by Paula Danziger. (Little Brown & Co., 1978)
• Dump Days by Jerry Spinelli. (Yearling, 1991)

  Is Your Child a Reluctant Reader? Try These
  Some children don't happily dive into a book. If your child is in that category, we recommend these:

  Werewolves Don't Go to Summer Camp (The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids, #2) by Debbie Dadey and Marcia T. Jones (Scholastic Paperbacks, 1991) is the story of a bunch of kids and a very hairy camp counselor.

  Letters from Camp by Kate Klise (HarperTrophy, 2000) is a quirky mystery about a camp called Camp Happy Harmony that is anything but. The story is not told in the conventional way, but unfolds through documents such as letters, store receipts and Post-its.