FICTION

Camp Wonderful Wild

illus. by Carlynn Whitt. 30p. Amazon/Two Lions. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781477816523; ebk. $9.99. ISBN 9781477866528.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 2—Digitally rendered illustrations and a rhyming text take readers to a Jewish summer camp where children swim and sing, do arts and crafts, dance around a campfire, go on scavenger hunts, and-with sadness-go home when camp is done. The ethnicity of the children is subtly demonstrated with occasional Hebrew lettering and some of the young boys wearing a kippah or yarmulke, the traditional Jewish male head covering. However, since none of this is explained, the subtlety will be lost on non-Jewish children, who may wonder what the lettering is and why some of the boys are wearing beanies. Summer camp is always ripe for picture book fun, so it's too bad that the rhyme here is very slight and doesn't always scan well. It's also puzzling that in one scene, the art room is filled with Hannukah menorahs and dreidels when the holiday is celebrated in November or December. An additional purchase for libraries with large Jewish communities.—Sharon Grover, Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, WI
Simple rhyming text complains about summer camp (until the final complaint about having to leave). Digital illustrations full of smiles make it clear that the chores, mud, and enforced singing bring more joy than pain. The text could apply to any summer camp, though Stars of David and other images in the illustrations suggest that this is a Jewish setting.

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