Just Me and My Dad

The book itself is cute.

This book is about a little critter that gets to go on a camping trip with his dad. They do alot of different things together, but the little critter always tried to help his dad with everthing and always messed it up. Even though little critter messed some things up they still had a nice time together. I would recommend this book to anyone, because its a nice book to read and learn from. This book teaches that you should spend time with your family and even if you mess anything up still have a nice time with them.

You can never go wrong with a Mayer book. They are so fun. Always told from a child's point of view, you can't help but laugh at all the mishaps throughout the book and the innocence in which it is told. In this particular book, Little Critter goes camping with his dad and tries soooo hard to help out but somehow always manages to create a minor disaster. Add in a little 'treasure hunt' of spotting the spider and grasshopper in each picture and you've got quite a little treasure in itself. So, cuddle up with your little audience and enjoy!

The Little Critters in the book are a cross between trolls, bears, and porcupines . . . and they certainly are humorous to consider. This book is perfect for the 2-5 year old set. As your child gets older, this book will also make a good beginning reader. The idea of going camping alone with Dad will be encouraged by the story (especially if you reassure your child that bears are unlikely to take her or his fish). While many people would assume this is about a father and son, there is no language to say so. Only the blue overalls give any hint of sex, so I think the book will work well for daughters. The story involves a camping trip. Mom waves goodbye, and the father and child are off. The father lets the child participate in as many ways as possible, even though it doesn't always work out. For example, the spot the child picks out to camp on turns out to be occupied by a porcupine and a snake!The high point of the trip is when the child catches a fish. Dad takes a picture, and the child starts to cook the fish. Then the bear comes and snatches the fish out of the frying pan! I know from our children that fishing seems to provide endless fascination at this age. We always taught our children to carefully release the fish. Eating them is good too. The book ends with "We slept in our tent all night long -- just me and my dad." At these ages, children are not always eager to do things without Mom. But Mom needs a break sometimes, and many Dads love to do a little direct bonding which this book will encourage. The illustrations are bright, lovingly detailed, and humorous in as many ways as possible. They are rendered in either gouache or water color. I couldn't quite tell which medium was used. Of special note are a tiny cricket or grasshopper and a spider that humorously accompany the father and child. This illustrated story within a story is worth the price of the book alone. Small children will naturally gravitate towards these little creatures and want to point them out with their tiny fingers. Make wonderful laughing connections with this book!After your child is comfortable with it, I suggest that you plan a little camping trip to find out how your child likes the actual experience. Naturally, some fishing might be in order!

My 2 year old loves this book. She enjoys reading all of the books about Little Critter. This book is her favorite because of the bear and Little Critter's dad. I enjoy reading this book to her since the story is simple enough for her to understand, yet it is still imaginative and fun. She also enjoys sitting and telling the story to her father while looking at the pictures. I would recommend this book to children 2 and up.