Stella and Roy Go Camping (Hardcover)

~ (Author, Artist) "One warm summer day, Stella and Roy set off with their mother to go camping..." (more)
Key Phrases: bear barrel

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2Stella & Roy (Dutton, 1993), last seen pedaling around the park, go camping in the mountains with their mother in this attractive picture book. Stella has just learned to read and she comes armed with a book about animal tracks. Her younger brother is hoping to spot a bear. As they hike to their mountain-lake destination, Roy keeps finding tracks he thinks were made by a bear, but Stella disabuses him of this notion, showing him the pages in her book where the relevant coyote or marmot or raccoon tracks are displayed. After the family has made camp, eaten, and retired for the night, Roy is awakened by the sound of an intruder. He peers out of the tent and sees a brown bear trying to reach their food in its plastic barrel. The next morning, Roy has some bear tracks to show Stella. This gentle slice-of-life story with its satisfying conclusion evokes a feeling for the glories of camping. At the same time, Wolff imparts a surprising amount of information about the flora and fauna of the Sierra Nevada in her handsome linoleum-cut illustrations enhanced with color.Miriam Lang Budin, Mt. Kisco Public Library, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

The engaging sister-and-brother duo from the highly acclaimed Stella & Roy are back for a second outing that will delight young readers. This time Stella and Roy are camping with their mother, and Roy really hopes to see a bear. Every time he thinks he sees bear tracks, new reader Stella is pleased to say, "Wrong, Roy," and to look in her book of animal tracks for ones that match the prints. There are coyote tracks and marmot tracks and raccoon tracks and lots of other animal tracks-but, to Roy's chagrin, no bear tracks.

At night, however, things change. Lying awake in his sleeping bag, Roy hears a clunking, rolling sound. Could it be the black plastic bear barrel, into which all leftovers have been tightly shut? Who or what is out there?

Ashley Wolff's high-spirited story gives equal weight to the pleasures of reading that Stella has recently discovered and to the rewards of persistence that younger brother Roy enjoys. Wolff's distinctive hand-tinted linocuts beautifully render the splendors of an outdoor hike, as well as the spookiness of a shadowed night. Readers will enjoy identifying tracks along with Stella and Roy, and they will thrill with Roy when he glimpses the nighttime visitor.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525458646
• ISBN-13: 978-0525458647
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,804,979 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Follow Stella and Roy to remember your own family adventure., October 18, 1999

By	Margarette S. Reid ([e-mail]) (Gaithersburg, MD) - See all my reviews

Ever go camping? Stella and Roy and their mother won't forget this trek. Young readers won't either. This charming book will invite you and your youngster back again, over and over all through the year, to search out the wildlife hidden long the trail. Although set in Yosemite, the story can easily be translated into where you live. Talking over the family's last summer adventure and anticipating the next one will be the natural outcome of sharing this amusing tale of sibling interaction.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Realistic and interesting, November 13, 2007

By	M. J. Dykstra - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Stella and Roy Go Camping (Hardcover)

This is one of the few realistic and up-to-date books I've read to my six-year-old son about going camping. In addition, it has great illustrations and a surprise ending to keep children interested. My son can relate to it because he has gone backpacking with us.

Mother and backpacker

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book for introducing camping to preschoolers, August 3, 2004

By	Ginger (Staten Island, New York) - See all my reviews

I read this book to my integrated preschool class, most of whom have never been camping. It was a nice realistic introduction to camping with vivid illustrations and characters that the children could relate to(previously I had only been able to find camping books whose main characters were nonhuman.) The camping experience in the story is true to life, touching on many details including making a safe campfire and even putting food in a bear proof containter. The story is interesting enough and the sibling relationship universal enough that my students were interested in the story without feeling like I was instructing them about camping. One nice feature was that throughout the story Stella and Roy would refer to a guidebook to discern which animals made tracks in the dirt and the illustrations were detailed and visible enough that my students could participate in Stella and Roy's discovery. On the last page of the book there are also descriptions and illustrations of the animal tracks for the reader to explore if they wish. This is also a nice book for children who have already been camping because they will likely be able to relate to it and compare it to their own experiences.