Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Timo Goes Camping
Illustrator: Dean Griffiths
Fiction Series
For ages 5 to 7
Pajama Press, 2018 ISBN: 978-1772780406
One summer’s day, while Suki, Timo, Bogs, Rae, and Hedgewick are having a picnic, Suki announces that she has a great idea. No one is keen to hear about her idea because Suki’s ideas tend to be rather involved. Then Suki tells her friends that they will like her idea because they will get to do the kinds of things that they like to do. Bogs will play his guitar and be the Toad of Tunes; Hedgewick will cook and will be the Chief Chef; and Rae will get to be the Head Engineer. Suki proudly tells her friends that she thinks that they should go camping.
For Suki going camping will be an adventure. For Timo the whole proposition sounds “messy and unsafe and not at all sensible.”
Timo is the kind of fellow who, when in doubt, seeks out information. He goes to the library and reads up about camping, and he also takes careful notes so that he knows about knots, canoeing, orienteering, and how to build a fire.
A few days later the friends gather at the dock and it isn’t long before Timo’s book learning comes in handy. Timo feels proud when Rae compliments him on the knot he tied, but then Suki teases him for studying about camping, which makes him feel bad.
Later Suki teases Hedgewick and Rae as well. No one says anything, but they are clearly hurt by Suki’s words.
In this engaging and thoughtful chapter book Timo the rabbit has an adventure with his friends and the trip challenges them in many ways. Timo is forced out of his comfort zone and in the end this turns out to be a good thing.
