MONK CAMPS OUT

Monk’s first camping experience is difficult, especially for his parents. When Monk decides that tonight is perfect for his first camp out in the back yard, his doting parents agree, but need his reassurance that he’ll be OK. When he has trouble pitching his tent, they help “only a little.” Monk isn’t home for dinner, so they bring him some camp grub in a lunch box. Dinner is lonely, and the evening is long. They just have to give him a good night hug and kiss and stay up until he decides to come in. Meanwhile, Monk is having a fine time and rejects his parents’ suggestion that he come inside. During the night, Monk wakes up and needs his mitt. His parents who have been sleeping in their living room wake up and need to make sure he’s all right. In a delightful two-page spread, McCully (Outlaw Thanksgiving, 1998) shows Monk coming into the front door, as his parents are going out the side door. They all trade places. Monk sleeps in his mother’s chair. His parents sleep outside the tent and when they meet in the morning Monk proudly announces that he camped out all night by himself. Parents will enjoy reading this affectionate view of their concerns about the growing independence of their offspring. Younger children will like the story and the older ones will get the inside joke. McCully’s pen and ink and watercolor illustrations tell the story with humor and charm and round out the spare text. (Picture book. 46)