ISO The kids big book of /Encyclopedia of/Amazing Facts about CAMPING

April 10, 2023 8:27 PM

My son's 6th birthday is coming up. He's really into dinosaurs right now and he has some dinosaur books and I'll be getting a few more. Then it occurred to me we're doing a fair bit of camping this summer, it would be nice if he had some kind of big-book-of-camping-???-something? We'll be camping in north-ish and nothern ontario in the Canadian shield if that matters. He's more interested in Encyclopedia/fact type books than either narrative or activity type books. The dino books are good examples of A) his reading level and B) his preferred sort of book style. Please recommend books.
posted by If only I had a penguin... to Grab Bag (8 answers total)

I'm a few years out of date, but when I was a kid, the Boy Scout Handbook had a ton of stuff about camping. It may be a little old for him, but it is something to think about.
posted by lhauser at 9:31 PM on April 10, 2023 [2 favorites]

More out of date--Wildwood Wisdom by Ellsworth Jaeger. The illustrations were fascinating for kid me, encyclopedia of camping way back when. Shelters and eating squirrels and tracking animals. Jaeger was famous in his day and the book stays in print. Could be read-in-tent worthy, or the First Nations appropriation and interpretation might land terribly. I haven't seen the book in decades.

Alternatively, Jaeger's Tracks and Trailcraft. which has dino footprints.
posted by xaryts at 5:18 AM on April 11, 2023

When I was a Scout in the 1980s, the Boy Scout Field Manual was WAAAY cooler than the Handbook (which is also full of rank advancement paperwork). It teaches thigns and also shows practical how-to instructions; I read it endlessly.

But possibly cooler than that would be something from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), where real guides train -- perhaps their "Bear Essentials" book? Link to NOLS store

Would the "Bushcraft 101" book be more what you're looking for? It's pretty cool, too.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:58 AM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]

When I was probably around 8 or 9 I found my uncle's Boy Scout Handbook from the 1960s at grandma's and was allowed to take it home, the one with the Norman Rockwell cover (pdf link), and I pored over it even though I never camped or anything. It's written for kids and is packed with practical information, so that's another vote for something from the BSA library.
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:41 AM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

The Ashley Book of Knots is wonderful, and fascinating to look through, and educational as hell, over 600 pages long, and has great illustrations. Knots go well with camping.

But there's a supposedly humorous line in there about lynching, so, well, do with that as you see fit.
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:44 AM on April 11, 2023

It's probably out of print but maybe you can find a used copy of the Hardy Boys Survival Handbook. I remember it as an age-appropriate introduction (via fictional stories) where the Hardy Boys teach basic wilderness survival skills to that 7-10-year-old age level.
posted by COD at 8:52 AM on April 11, 2023

It's old, but Kid Camping from Aaaaiiii to Zip is an amazing encyclopedia style but funny book.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:46 PM on April 11, 2023

Not exactly camping, but photo-heavy field guides for the area you’ll be in. Parks often have kid-focused books about things you might see in their gift shops. Another option is just getting an adult book with good pictures if being “grown-up” and having a “real” guide would be appealing
posted by momus_window at 5:32 PM on April 11, 2023