The Not-So Great Outdoors

I loved this book from the moment I opened the package! The hardcover book has a fabric-bound spine, a textured cover, and thick pages. The beautifully illustrated end-pages show all things nature. For the first half of this beautiful book, a girl goes with her family to spend the summer "in the great outdoors." She's not sure what's so great about it though. She complains in the foreground while her family has fun in the background. On one page she asks where anything even lives since there aren't any building in nature. Children will have fun pointing out all of the things the protagonist is missing. As the story continues, the girl has a change of heart and starts noticing all the wonderful things around her. I like that her parents show more don't spend their time trying to convince her, or arguing with her, and nothing changes except her attitude.

This story has gorgeous illustrations, a simple and clear story line, and a diverse family. Even though I live in Vermont, surrounded by nature, I know my students will love this book and I'm excited to share it with them. show less

A young girl is distinctly unenthusiastic about her family's camping trip in the "not-so-great outdoors" in this entertaining and ultimately heartwarming picture-book from Canadian author/illustrator Madeline Kloepper. The first half of the book chronicles the shortcomings of nature - no electricity, no fountains or sculptures, no playgrounds - as understood by the girl, but after a bear sighting she starts to become more open to the beauty and wonder of the world around her, ending on a positive note...

Kloepper has illustrated a number of other picture-books, but The Not-So Great Outdoors marks her debut as both author and artist. I found her simple text humorous and true-to-life for some children - I loved outdoor adventures as a kid, show more but had some friends who would have considered camping an unbearable experience - while the artwork was colorful and expressive. The overall book design here put me in mind of the London-based Flying Eye Books, which is high praise indeed. Recommended to reluctant young campers, or city kids who imagine that everything they could ever need is already around them. show less

I received a free advanced copy of this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great book for summer about a city kid learning to appreciate the outdoors. We follow a young girl who’s upset at the beginning of the book that her family is leaving the city for a vacation camping in the outdoors. She doesn’t see why they need to leave the city to “venture into the great outdoors” where there’s no electricity, no playground, and no city lights. Of course, along the way she learns to appreciate the outdoors. We see this happen with a great juxtaposition between what she’s starting to see outdoors verses what she was missing about the city. For example, we see her kayaking show more and looking at beaver dam while saying “the construction workers here are pretty good at rerouting traffic.” Also, saying the skyline “isn’t too shabby” while looking at the sunset. This is great for any kid who doesn’t want to leave the house and play outside. My 6-year-old son likes the outdoors so he didn’t understand why the main character didn’t like it, but he understood the point of the story by the end when he told me “see she should know the outdoors are cool.” show less

This is a great book for a family who has children and loves nature and camping. I loved how the main character is brown and her parents are of different races. It’s great to see more diversity. The illustrations are absolutely stunning and it’s a cute story. Other than that it’s not something I would recommend for educational purposes.

This book tells the story of an urban family who takes a camping trip. While most members of the family seem to enjoy being in the "great outdoors," one young lady resists any attempts to get involved in the camping adventures. She misses parts of her urban life, such as tall buildings, electricity, fountains and sculptures. However, she fails to see all their counterparts surrounding her. The young lady finally finds fishing, sunsets, stars, and animals have their own appeal.

I enjoyed the illustrations of the family as they learned all about their outdoor environment and enjoyed their time together. The illustrations reminded me of colored pencil drawings. I really appreciated the multicultural features of the people shown in the show more pictures. I am sure youngsters would enjoy sharing this book with family members. Hopefully it would help them develop a similar longing to experience all that outdoor adventures have to offer.

I received this book from the publisher as part of Early Reviewers. The opinions expressed here are my own. show less

A city family -mom, dad, young girl, and her little brother- leave their vibrant multicultural city neighborhood for a camping vacation in the wilderness. The girl is bored and unhappy at first, missing the sights and sounds of her city while ignoring the wonders surrounding her. After spotting a family of bears by the roadside, however, she starts to see and appreciate the beauty of nature.

I liked the fact that her parents and younger brother ignored her pouting, not fussing with her to “join in” the fun, but let her come to her own realization that the outdoors can be a pretty cool place.

Another plus is the artwork, the stylized drawings and deep earthy colors evoking the outdoors and complimenting the story.

The only off note show more for me was the appearance of a “Bigfoot” type character running off when the family explores a cave. Anything’s possible in nature, I guess.

Nice book. show less

I love the colourful illustrations in “The Not-So Great Outdoors” and the way they play off the title by making the rural area look like the ‘not-so great’ urban area. The rocks become the sculptures, the acoustic guitar the entertainment and the fire and Northern Lights the electricity and more.
A disgruntled young girl is on a camping trip with her parents and young brother. It takes her some time and seeing bears to start to appreciate what nature has to offer, something different from what she knows and is familiar with. Perhaps something better?
I received this from LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program.
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