Camping has always been a big part of my life. As a child, my family camped a lot. I even have specific foods from my childhood that I still associate with camping (baked beans, powdered donuts, etc). In high school and college, I enjoyed camping adventures with friends. Now I get to pass my love of camping on to my children. To help prepare my kids for any new event I like to read books. Below is a list of children’s books about camping.
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This book is for the youngest readers – especially those who love other Biscuit books. A young girl sets up camping in the backyard with her puppy. But then a thunderstorm has them moving their camping adventure inside the house.
Here is another series we enjoy but for a slightly older reader. Ladybug Girl’s family goes on a camping trip (tent camping). Her dog Bingo loves all the new smells and Ladybug Girl is supposed to hold onto her dog’s leash but Bingo ends up getting lost in the woods.
The girl finds her dog but she ends up lost too. Eventually, the duo realizes they were close to the family’s campsite the entire time. The book features canoeing, exploring nature, having a picnic, and roasting marshmallows.
A young girl can’t wait to spend time with her friends during summer but her parents surprise her by announcing that the family is going on a great American road trip. The girl is not happy and starts the trip missing many sights because she’s constantly on her technology.
Eventually, she starts enjoying the trip and forgets about her technology. The family has adventures (geysers, riding a mule, river rafting, etc) at many popular national parks. When they return from the road trip the girl has her friends over for a backyard campout to tell them about the places she saw.
From one of our favorite authors, this camping book is full of funny shenanigans. Mr. Magee and his little dog Dee pack up their camper and drive to the mountains to camp. They make a campfire to roast hot dogs and marshmallows.
Then a bear comes along and accidently unlatches the camper from the car. The camper goes rolling down into the river. The bear thinks the hitch on the camper is a marshmallow and pulls the camper out of the water. Mr. Magee and Dee decide to camp in the backyard instead.
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As usual, Amelia Bedelia has many misunderstandings with common sayings but this time while camping. It’s her first time camping, fishing, etc.
Pony Scouts are going camping. Meg has never been before. The girls are at a state park with their horses. They learn about pitching a tent, eating around a campfire, telling ghost stories, and more.
This board book is cute and covers the basics including terminology (tent – pole, window, flap, stake). It includes what to pack for camping. It briefly talks about nature and looking at stars. Plus, the book gives a few tips on how to make the camping experience better. It’s great for young kids about to have their first camping trip.
We are big fans of Daniel Tiger. This very simplistic book features Daniel going camping with his dad. It discusses setting up the tent, going on a nature walk, cooking over the fire, and singing.
One of my favorites on the list! In The Camping Trip, a young girl gets to go camping for the first time with her cousin and aunt. The story includes an illustrated packing list. The girl gets scared at night but her aunt helps her through her fear and shows her the night sky. Swimming in the lake, nature hikes, and much more are featured.
An immigrant family is going camping for the first time to partake in a great American pastime. They get to the campground and first need to build the tent and get dinner started. But the dad struggles to get the tent put together and Fatima, the daughter, pouts because the other (white) families in the campground seem to be great at camping.
Then the mom shows them how to build a fire because she came from a small town in India where they used wood-burning stoves. After the camping weekend, a camping group for brown people is started.
Grandad is sad and doesn’t go camping anymore since his husband passed away who was the adventurer. They used to go everywhere with their camper seeing sights and meeting new people. The grandchild suggests they fix up the camper together. Grandad and the grandchild take the camper to the beach, roast marshmallows, and sing songs while playing guitar.
Fred and Ted are friends who like to go camping but Fred has a hard time with his tent, canoeing, fishing, etc and Ted has an easy time. In the end, everyone has a good time and they find food to share in the woods.
I’ll add more children’s camping books to this list as we come across them but I hope you found one or two that will be perfect for the child(ren) in your life.
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