Sockflea: A Stuffie in the Wild

by Laura Dockrill, Eva Byrne (Illustrator)

"Droll humor abounds in Dockrill’s narration, which perfectly captures a youngster’s mentality, pairing beautifully with Byrne’s thoroughly enticing digital art." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Rollicking and irreverent, this any-time ode to independence—and parental innovation—doubles as the vacation read-aloud of the year. Don’t leave home without it (spare socks optional)!

This little elephant is going camping for the first time, and does not need to bring ANY STUFFIES. You don’t need stuffies in the wild, OK? Not when you’re FIVE! Not even when it’s dark (very dark) and the sky is endless black, and there are crunchy scrunchy noises all around. Why didn’t the grown-up insist on packing stuffies? Enter Sockflea, who may look like a rolled-up ball of grown-up socks, but NO. Sockflea has been sent by the stuffies back home to look after their friend on vacation. Bold, quirky character art by a New York Times-bestselling illustrator meets high action, slapstick humor, and genuine heart in a witty interactive romp. Brimming with personality, this playful picture book will charm young children test-driving their confidence while managing big emotions—and tickle their grown-ups to boot.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Childrens, Summer, Adventure, Storytime, Family

40 pages, Hardcover

Published April 21, 2026

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story, I thought it was cute and funny. The illustrations were colorful and complemented the story really well.

What I didn’t like is how the adult in the book is addressed as a grown-up and is referred as “they”. It is not ok to put it on a kids books without any warning. I am sure parents will have to find a way to address the elephant in the room and I feel they should have the choice to do it when they want to, and not because a kids book can’t choose a gender for the adult.

Again, a warning would be perfectly fine, that way you can choose to read it or not.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is time to go camping! An adventure in the wild. But five year olds are too old to need stuffies on a camping trip, right? (I am the wrong person to answer this since I am 70 and still take my stuffy with me when I travel....)
Camping is delightful! So much to explore! Yummy food! But eventually it is bedtime. Sure enough, night falls and our five year old panics without their stuffies. Fortunately the adult is good at dealing with sobbing emergencies in the middle of the night and magically creates - Sockflea! It is almost love at first sight. Maybe second...

There was so much to love about this book! There's a big elephant and a five-year old elephant. Could be a single parent; no one is really designated with a gender. The illustrations were amazing; the stuffies and their descriptions were wonderful - and did you see the adult's packing list? Tea, tea, and a bit more tea, please. And the ingenuity and creativity behind sweet little Sockflea.

This would be a cute read aloud for a stuffie sleepover! Or a pre-camping book just so you remember to take ALL of the essentials.

[Becs · Rating 3 out of 5]

A creative and compellingly illustrated book with a cute story and lots of personality.

I really liked the story, the cute narrative (and sounds for the children to enjoy) and elephants are an easy win in our household! I think my main struggle with this was the story didn't feel as much fun as I think it should be for the intended audience - little readers, at least mine, are less bothered by lots of storytelling and more compelled by fun illustrations and interactions between characters. I'm not sure this has a character - or character dynamic - children will run back to, but I think the illustrations will pull children back in even if the narrative doesn't quite.

I hope this author has more ideas for children's stories though, because I can see loads of creativity and actually a very considerate narrative voice in the telling - just a little injection of fun and well landed humour would have made this a five star for me.

ARC provided from walker books in exchange for an honest review.

[Mizzy Mint · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just your classic story of a child going on a trip away from home (camping) and being too old (5 years old) to need their stuffies, but then realizing they cannot sleep without them. I really loved the loose line work of the illustrations and the vibrant colors, it reminds me of cartoons from Nick Jr in the early 2000s. I also really like that the guardian is referred to as "their grown up" leaving the relationship and gender of the adult to be interpreted by the reader and allowing for more open comparisons with non-traditional family types.
I also like how on the fly the guardian makes a sock rabbit so the child can sleep that was "sent by your stuffies at home so you wouldn't be alone". But the child assumes it is magic when they disappear after returning home (aka, return to being socks). This is a cute book and very silly. Definitely worth a read.

[Zan Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little elephant is going camping for the first time, and does not need to bring any stuffies. You don t need stuffies in the wild, OK? Not when you're five! Not even when it's dark (very dark) and the sky is endless black, and there are crunchy scrunchy noises all around. Why didn't the grown-up insist on packing stuffies? Enter Sockflea, who may look like a rolled-up ball of grown-up socks, but no. Sockflea has been sent by the stuffies back home to look after their friend on vacation. Brimming with personality, this playful picture book will charm young children test-driving their confidence while managing big emotions and tickle their grown-ups to boot.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Elephant loves his stuffies but decides they all need to stay at home while they go camping. Their grownup asks, several times, if they are sure about not bringing stuffies and they reiterate that they are. But when the adventure is well and truly underway, Little Elephant isn't so sure. They wake their grownup to demand why they didn't require them to bring a stuffie! The grownup quickly improvises and creates Sockflea! Sockflea quickly becomes a favorite companion.

Highly recommended for a stuffed animal storytime.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer Reading/Camping ST. A elephant goes camping with their family, and says they do not need to bring a stuffy. BUT when nighttime comes they discover that they do want a stuffy while they are camping, and the parents create a "stuffy" made of old socks, sockflea. The stuffy helps the kid get through the camping trip. Some funny stuff in here that grown ups and older kids will notice, and the images are great and detailed. For kids who love stuffies!

[Raccoon in the Garage · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the illustrations & how inclusive it is when referring to the adults. As someone who (yes uses diff pronouns) but also had a variety of adults taking care of them growing up. It felt really nice to be able to picture ANY of them in this scenario. Kiddos need that. We all come from different backgrounds and live different experiences and I'm glad this did a tiny thing to help in a huge way. Very cute! The end had me giggling.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and funny. About first-time camping, outdoor fun, feeling too big for sleeping with stuffies. But when the night rolls in all dark and scary, this five-year-old regrets not bringing a stuffie along. Luckily there’s an imaginative solution at hand.

[Miss Janis the Storytime Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

silly. Kids were a little done by this point, with a couple of long books before it, but it still held them pretty well. Earlier in the ST would be better, and there's plenty to talk about with a smaller group.

[Alara Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

My whole family loves this one! There are fun little splashes of rhymes and the storyline feels complex enough for me to be able to read it over and over again for my kids. It celebrates imagination, problem solving and the willingness to adapt. The ending is a punchy little giggle too.

[Meghan Bohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this one! I especially appreciate how the adult is addressed as 'the grown-up'.

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute idea, though the illustrations were a big meh.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not recommending for mock Caldecott

[DaNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

For parents who have kids who know better, but really don’t.

[Tara Olson Kazda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost perfect. Maybe my new favorite. I appreciate the gentle nod to parents who must come up with outrageous solutions on the fly.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Parent saves the day.

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Are you wearing...SOCKFLEA?"

Themes: elephants, summer, family, stories that rhyme, humor
Ages: preK-2nd grade (shorten as needed)
Pub year: 2026

[Holly Wagner · Rating 2 out of 5]

A camping adventure where a creative grownup solves the stuffie problem.

Was it rhyming? Almost worked. Almost.