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Camping Day!
Sam, Pam, Will and Jill are crocodile friends with a camping plan but not much know-how. They get lost on their way to the campsite, get attacked by a swarm of bees, get all mixed up while trying to assemble their tent, and then get so frightened by nighttime shadows that their campout is in danger of fizzing out. But all ends well, as it always does for this happygo- lucky crew. This is a breezy summer story that?s ?ideally pitched for prereaders or brand-new ones? (as Booklist said of its predecessor, Rainy Day! ).
40 pages, Hardcover
First published June 11, 2009
1 person is currently reading
74 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
July 6, 2019
An endearing family of crocodiles has a memorable experience camping in the woods in this colorful adventure. I really enjoyed the campfire bean-eating segment. Toots!
September 22, 2018
Fun and silly, with enough repetition to help kids learning to read, but not tedious for the grownup helping them. It seems to be the first book that my toddler has memorized and can "read" to himself.
May 10, 2011
ok, so the book itself wasn't actually amazing...but the fact that this was the first book that my son picked up & fully read, every single word, to us...is simply amazing. He even sounded out & successfully read the bigger words. Mama is feeling very proud that he wanted to read this book & did. No pressure, force, or even "lessons" to read...he just did it when he was ready & willing...and that he was. This just helps me to know that unschooling does in fact work :) following your childs lead is critical in learning...and when they are ready they will soar.
picture-books
August 5, 2024Date: 03.29.24
Attendees 65
Theme: Camping
Introduction and announcements: My Hands Say Hello
Book one: Camping Day by Patricia Lakin
Song/rhyme/game one: We’re Going on Bear Hunt
Book two: Monster and Mouse Go Camping by Deborah Underwood
Song/rhyme/game two: The Wiggle Dance by Danny Go!
Book three: Moon Camp by Barry Gott
Song/ rhyme/ game three: Mr. Wiggle and Mr. Waggle Go Camping
Activity:https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ee/05/...
Attendees 65
Theme: Camping
Introduction and announcements: My Hands Say Hello
Book one: Camping Day by Patricia Lakin
Song/rhyme/game one: We’re Going on Bear Hunt
Book two: Monster and Mouse Go Camping by Deborah Underwood
Song/rhyme/game two: The Wiggle Dance by Danny Go!
Book three: Moon Camp by Barry Gott
Song/ rhyme/ game three: Mr. Wiggle and Mr. Waggle Go Camping
Activity:https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ee/05/...
February 27, 2025
A book about four dinosaur friends who go camping and end up scaring themselves with their own shadows. They went back home where they sleep outside the house in sleeping bags. This book is lighthearted and a quick read. I could use this book when talking about rhyming, adventure, or simply as a fun quick read aloud.
September 26, 2018
I read this story to my Toddler Tales today because this month has been "Camping" theme. It's super cute and has some rhyming to it. The toddlers thought it was funny when the bees came into the picture and when the dinosaurs scared themselves. Great storytime book.
September 27, 2018
Solid toddler group read. I skipped a little repetition. Has plenty of good moments to interact with the book. Kids loved the bees and the shadows.
August 21, 2022
Minimal story I don’t care for and illustrations I like less
June 25, 2023
Fun little book. I enjoyed watching the woodland creatures watch the alligators. 4 stars to the artwork, 3 to the writing.
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February 26, 2017The setting takes place in a woods
no awards.
I could use it in a classroom around a time when people want to go camping.
no awards.
I could use it in a classroom around a time when people want to go camping.
June 13, 2011
Camping Day! is abotu 4 alligators that decide to go on a camping trip. They have to do all of the necessary prep: pack, pitch a tent, etc. At the end, they get scared and end up camping in their own backyard.
Themes/topics: camping, the outdoors, things to do with friends
Great features: bright picturs, rhyming words, BIG words- kids can see them, repition
Red flags: There is page in the book where one of the gators "toots" and they all say PU! This is just silly and the kids will likely get a huge kick out of it, but it could also cause them to get a little routy?
Opportunity for interaction:
What things do you need when you go camping? What other plants or animals might you see? Have kids do actions like climb up a hill or plug their nose, etc. If in the Lindbergh Gallery, you could tie the things you need to go camping in with the things Lindbergh needed on his flight.
Themes/topics: camping, the outdoors, things to do with friends
Great features: bright picturs, rhyming words, BIG words- kids can see them, repition
Red flags: There is page in the book where one of the gators "toots" and they all say PU! This is just silly and the kids will likely get a huge kick out of it, but it could also cause them to get a little routy?
Opportunity for interaction:
What things do you need when you go camping? What other plants or animals might you see? Have kids do actions like climb up a hill or plug their nose, etc. If in the Lindbergh Gallery, you could tie the things you need to go camping in with the things Lindbergh needed on his flight.
August 26, 2011
This book was so funny, and a happy read. Together this family of crocodiles decide to take a camping trip due to boredom. While away they encounter all the stuff that camping is made of. There are rhymes and learning different animals, sounds, numbers, and ideas. In the end they all leave together to go back home and camp out in their own back yard. This was a very cute read!
January 21, 2016
A new adventure of Sam, Pam, Will, and Jill the crocodiles. This time they're off to the woods for camping. Love the great big font on some of the words - makes it really easy to pick which words to sound out when teaching little ones to read.
The illustrations are very fun - keep an eye on those bunnies!
The illustrations are very fun - keep an eye on those bunnies!
January 20, 2016
This really isn't an 'exceptional' book or anything but I could image with the simple and rhyming words within this book a beginning reader could learn to read from this book and enjoy doing it. Four alligators Sam, Pam, Jill and Will decide to go camping. The illustrations are great as well, so a younger child could make up their own story just from the illustrations. But the text is fun.
December 7, 2025
Sam, Pam, Will, and Jill decide to spend their day camping in the great outdoors. Although not very good at it they give their all, and enjoy the day hiking, cooking out, singing, but when nightfall comes, along with the ghost stories, and bedtime, camping out brings on unforeseen challenges for the four crocodiles.
June 25, 2011
My son and I really liked this book! It was fun and entertaining, and he liked the crocodile characters (although I thought they were dinosaurs at first). This is just a good natured fun camping story.
June 7, 2012
My boys love this book. It's a cute book with a topic that appeals to them (camping), has a 'fear factor ' with laughs, and with simple words so they can not only learn to read - but memorize. This kind of a books always scores well with us.
June 25, 2012
Has a lot of rhyming and could be useful for starting a conversation about camping. Also everyone has different ideas in the book but they all agree on one thing so you could use the book as a teaching tool for that.
August 23, 2013
The rhyming meter in this story is very even. The characters are likeable and the story is simple—4 friends (a family?) decide to go camping, get scared, and come home…and choose to camp somewhere different than what they originally planned to do!
July 9, 2014
I think if I was 4-6 and had a camping family I would probably like this very much. But as a, let's say, non-4-6-year-old person I'm not so impressed. I can't even imagine it being the kind of book that a kid remembers fondly when they grow up.
April 18, 2015
A beautifully illustrated story about 4 alligators that want to go camping. This would be a great book for little ones in the classroom. An easy reader, and the pictures are so colorful and could be used to guide their independent reading. It was a lot of fun to read.
June 24, 2009
Lakin's crocodile books are always fun to read aloud.
July 22, 2009
The kids wanted to read this one twice...a story of alligators on a camping trip. Bright and bold illustrations.
October 22, 2009
Other than one potty joke, this was a great book. I loved that one of the character's names was the same as my son and that there was lots of rhyming throughout.
December 10, 2009
"alligators, sequel to rainy day, scared, camping"
February 5, 2010
Very cute! My 3-year-old can read this to her younger siblings.
June 9, 2010
Kids pick up that the image is not a ghost but a shadow. It makes them laugh.
September 19, 2011
kids will like the predictive nature of this book
July 26, 2013
my daughter loved this book and made me give it 5 stars. it was cute and simple
August 19, 2013
Rhyming text easily lends itself for storytimes & vivid illustrations of an alligator family camping out are sure to appeal to a preschool crowd. Appropriate for toddlers on up.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews