Sleeping Under the Stars: Llama, Llama Goes Camping, an Anna Dewdney Book

"I'm excited!

Llama Llama had never camped overnight before.

Neither had Nelly Gnu, Luna, Gilroy, or Euclid.

"It will be super fun," Mama Llama says.

Llama Llama had been outside lots of times, but he'd never really been outdoors--in the Great OUTDOORS.

But with the van full of equipment and essentials and with Mama and Grandma Llama as guides, Llama and friends are off for their first overnight campout in the woods. Everyone is supposed to be traveling light, but Euclid's idea of essentials is devices, lots of devices--a whole backpack just for gadgets.

The kids help set up the tents--without Euclid's digital measurement gismo--and the gang is a off for a hike before dark falls, listening for forest sounds.

"I want to make a recording," says Euclid.

"Let's just listen hard," says Mama Llama.

Back just in time, Mama and Grandma help the kids build a campfire, without fire-starting devices, and Grandma has them each find a long and strong stick and peel off the bark for--toasting marshmallows!

Finally it's time to crawl into their tents and let the night sounds sing them to sleep, sans gadgets.

Soon the sun wakes up the campers and they get to make their breakfasts on a fresh campfire. Euclid offers his portable waffle make, but no one is interested. Instead, everyone congratulates Euclid on making it through the night without using a single device.

"It was a fun challenge," said Euclid.

It's a different experience for the older and wiser Llama Llama and his buddies, in Llama Llama Loves Camping (An Anna Dewdney Book) (Penguin, 2018), as Llama and his school buddies have a new experience in sleepovers. Anna Dewdney's familiar characters and narrative style are in evidence in this episode from the new Netflix series of preschool adventures, based on Dewdney's beloved picture book series begun with Llama Llama Red Pajama (See reviews here.)