Campout! Raj And The Best Vacation EVER! by Sebastien Braun

 

DAD AND I ARE GOING ON A TRIP. I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE THE BEST VACATION EVER.

"ARE WE GOING TO ANTARCTICA?" ASKS RAJ.

There's so much equipment to load in the car. Raj helps as they fill the trunk and load a roof carrier with camping stuff!. But there's no canoe, and Raj wants a canoe trip.

It's a long way. They play car games. They sing "Wheels on the Bus!" Raj asks "Are we there yet?" several times. But at last they pull into the camp, pulling in right behind a minibus with a bear family inside. The Bears quickly put up their huge tent. Raj's dad has quite a struggle.

"HANG ON. WHERE DOES THIS POLE GO?"

"... TERRIBLE INSTRUCTIONS!... MUMBLE..."

"...THIS IS HARDER THAN IT LOOKS... MUMBLE GRUMBLE..."

The Bears offer help, but Dad declines, determined to do it himself. When the tent is finally done and they crawl into their sleeping bags, Raj decides he really, really has to go to the camp rest room. Dad trips on a tent stay on the way back in the dark.

In the morning Dad grumbles about wet matches when he tries to start the camp stove. The Bears offer to share their breakfast spread, but Dad wants to do it himself. They finally eat cereal for breakfast, and leave for their hike up the mountain. The Bear family pass them on the way up, singing jolly marching songs.

But after lunch, Dad has a surprise for Raj. They rent a canoe and set off down river. The man at Knut's Canoes calls out a warning as they paddle off.

"DON'T FORGET TO TURN LEFT AT THE SIGN!"

It doesn't take a Shakespeare to guess what happens next! It seems if you don't turn left, you will be heading for the waterfall downstream.

Sometimes doing it yourself is a good idea, but when your canoe is heading for a small waterfall, it's good to have some experienced friends handy. The veteran camping experts, the Bear Family, pitches in on the rescue, and all's well that ends with campfire-toasted marshmallows among friends, in Sebastien Braun's story of adventures in the big woods, Raj and the Best Vacation Ever! (Templar Books, 2021).

A nice plug for friendly cooperation, this is a fun read-aloud story of the ups and downs of family camp-outs, and veteran camper kids will doubtless be happy to chime in with their own family campout adventures and misadventures. As Kirkus Reviews puts it, "A sweet and satisfying book about a vacation that goes wrong before it goes right."

For more adventures with Raj, see Braun's first book, Raj and the Best Day Ever.