Isadora Moon Goes Camping by Harriet Muncaster
Source: Purchased Paperback, 128 pgs. I am an Amazon Affiliate
Isadora Moon Goes Camping by Harriet Muncaster is a delightful book that stretches the imagination of young early readers in which Isadora Moon, half vampire and half fairy, finds herself nervous about show-and-tell at school. But once she starts telling her class about her summer vacation camping near a beach, she becomes so engrossed in her own tale she and you will nearly forget she's nervous to speak in front of her classmates.
Isadora's dad is the glammed-up vampire in the family and his hygiene habits become a bummer for some of the other campers over the summer, and her mom just takes it all in stride, helping him pare down his suitcases for their vacation in the rough. It must be fantastic to have a mom who is a fairy because she can create anything you'd want, but it's all in the boundaries she sets for Isadora. What my daughter loved was the adventure and the Isadora's favorite animal, Pink Rabbit. I loved that he was a stuffed bunny who had expressions and ould walk around wherever Isadora did.
This book is a little above where my daughter's reading level is now, so there were times when she struggled with certain words, but we worked on how to sound those out and what those words meant. It was a good way to stretch her reading skills without losing her interest in the story. We'll likely be looking for the first two books in this series, since somehow we ended up with only book 3. Starting with this book, however, didn't seem to be a problem. We didn't feel like we were missing anything. The cover of our book suggests a lot of color, but most of the illustrations were black and pink. We're not sure why, but it didn't detract from the things that mattered in the story. The illustrations did enhance some of the action for us. We also loved the family photo album at the end of their summer camping trip. That was a nice touch.
Isadora Moon Goes Camping by Harriet Muncaster is a wonderful book about learning to take risks outside our comfort zones. I love how adventurous Isadora is and how willing she is to make new friends and go the extra mile for her family. My daughter often wanted to read "just one more chapter" each night, which is a tell-tale sign that she enjoyed the book and loved the characters.
RATING: Cinquain
About the Author:
Harriet Muncaster studied illustration at Norwich University College of the Arts before going on to get an MA in children’s book illustration at the Cambridge School of Art. In creating the art for her first book for children, she was thrilled to have found a good outlet for her lifelong fascination with miniatures. She lives in Hertfordshire, England.