Summer Camp Critter Jitters

April 15, 2021
Various animals reveal their worries to readers as they pack for summer camp. Skunk doesn't like scary stories, and feeling afraid sometimes leads to stinky incidents. Duck never learned to swim. Mole is worried about sports due to poor eyesight (archery, anyone?). And Mouse fears sleeping on the top bunk. Sloth, Rabbit, Snake, Bear, Kangaroo, and Parrot share worries of their own as they each pack their belongings in a suitcase (readers will chuckle at the small, carefully chosen details in these scenes). Once they all arrive at camp, though, they discover a larger problem than their own specific fears: Their new counselor, Cat, is stuck up a tree. By cooperating and each doing jobs that are well suited to them, they can get Cat out of the tree and thereby become a team that can work on their individual fears. For example, under an alligator counselor's close eye, Duck works on floating, Snake acting as a ring buoy around Duck's waist. Climo's cartoon illustrations use format conventions to marvelous effect, imaginary scenes encased in cloudlike bubbles to separate them from reality. The characters are simply drawn with minimal details, but this serves to highlight their expressive faces. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9.5-by-19-inch double-page spreads viewed at 23.1% of actual size.) Sure to ease the worries of human campers before their own forays. (Picture book. 4-8)

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May 10, 2021
In this endearing companion to the collaborators’ First Day Critter Jitters, the critters are back, and they’re as worried as ever—this time, about attending sleepaway camp. John shares each critter’s concern with winning candor. Norman the snake, for one, is worried about making friends: “Have you ever bumped into a snake in the woods? It doesn’t usually go so well,” a speech bubble reads, as the dot-eyed reptile imagines other critters fleeing in fear. Climo’s expressive, fine-lined comics-style drawings, rendered digitally, similarly don’t pull any punches (Chauncy the mouse imagines a looming, wholly unscalable bunk bed) in art that offers reassurance in its soft hues, visual crispness, and clear empathy. The group mournfully sighs all the way to Camp Super Fun, but an inadvertent team exercise and the late arrival of Sloth—initially mistaken for a campfire ghost—changes the mood dramatically, forging a tight bond across the group and instilling a newfound appreciation for camp life. Camp veterans won’t find the resolution surprising, but the creators handle the subject matter expertly, with psychological astuteness and humor. Ages 4–8.

May 15, 2021
Preschool-Grade 2 In this sequel to First Day Critter Jitters (2020), which dealt with the opening day at school, the same 10 animal characters begin by revealing why they're feeling anxious before their first experiences at overnight camp. Parrot, who feels compelled to repeat what others say, worries about annoying his cabinmates. Duck is embarrassed about being unable to swim. Mouse fears that even the lower level of a bunk bed will be too high to reach, while Bear is scared of the woods. Upon arrival, they find their counselor, a cat, stuck in a tree and needing their help to get down. Through cooperation and kindness, they succeed, while laying the groundwork for a wonderful time at Camp Super Fun. Created digitally, the gentle artwork is cartoonlike in its clarity of line and simplification of forms. The text consists entirely of dialogue, delivered in speech balloons and sometimes featuring the characters' comments on why their anxieties are diminishing. Helpful for any child who dreads new experiences, this picture book delivers a reassuring message in an inviting way.

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