Cousins Camp

Four young cousins, ages 11, 8, 5 and 3 are excited at the prospect of spending Spring Break at their grandparents' ranch in Texas. Jack, Sam, Ava and Matthew love the ranch life as well as the fun they have there together each year at "Cousins Camp". The book tells about all the fun activities children enjoy on a ranch. Arriving at the ranch, bad storms force the cousins to change their plans for recreation. Finding a puppy that has been abandoned causes them to chase after the little dog, and they go farther into the woods and away from familiar territory. They are lost with a big storm approaching. The cousins must stick together and be resourceful to find their way back to the ranch headquarters. They brave the elements and use their heads, but find that the dam is washed out preventing them from getting to safety. A fishing canoe by the creek enables them to try for a safe crossing, but takes them on a wild ride down a creek that is now a raging river. Frightened and lost, they make it to the other side, then help each other as they try to make their way home. The cousins are finally rescued by their grandfather who has employed the assistance of mounted cowboys from neighboring ranches. The cousins are now safe, but in deep trouble, as their grandfather requires them to recall the rules of safety for conduct at the ranch and in the outdoors. The cousins have violated almost every rule, so they are given a punishment. They must "muck out" stables and barns, an odious task, indeed. The cousins all agree that they learned some valuable lessons. However, they also agree that there is one rule they complied with perfectly: stick together! They celebrate Cousins Camp with "high fives" and the pledge to always stick together...cousins forever!

Five in the tent! A camping trip with Maisy turns into a slapstick comedy of errors in this hilarious picture-book adventure (ages 2-5). When Maisy sets off to go camping in the country, it’s only natural that all her friends come along, too. But they soon find that pitching a tent is not an easy thing to do. Even if they do manage to keep the tent up, there’s the matter of fitting them all in -- Maisy, Charley, Cyril, Tallulah, and finally, the huge elephant, Eddie. What a squeezy squish-squash! Good night, campers! Uh-oh-what’s that popping sound?

In a world where our families are more scattered than ever, true and lasting family connections are hard to forge and even harder to maintain--and they don't happen by accident. For grandparents who long to create a close-knit bond in their family, popular speaker and parenting expert Susan Alexander Yates has a revolutionary new book. Cousin Camp is an inspiring, practical book that outlines how grandparents can plan and host a camp. Grandmother to 21 grandchildren, Yates has been creating cousin camps and family camps for years. Now she passes on what she's learned so you can help your children and grandchildren develop meaningful, lasting connections with each other--and with you! Full of specific, practical ideas and hilarious stories, this book contains everything you need to know from initial planning (who, when, and where) to a daily schedule to specific ways to build friendships among family members. Yates also includes plenty of ideas for family camps and reunions to draw everyone closer.

Better than birthdays. Better than Thanksgiving. Better even than Christmas! For the Double Cousins, the high point of the year is SUMMER CAMP! Seeing camp friends. Choosing one activity for the day’s free time, and there are too many to do them all in one week: The climbing wall, The hike, The zip line, And for a quieter break, crafts or fishing. And then there’s WATER DAY! So many ways to get wet! BUT—and it’s a big BUT—this year there’s even more excitement with unexplained happenings, disappearances, and strangers around. Who returned the wandering four-year-old? Who is pilfering food from the kitchen? Will Carly have to survive without daily chocolate? Will Max lose friends because of Jess, who seems to attract trouble? And how is it all related to the historic stagecoach robbery they are just hearing about now! Or is it? In The Double Cousins and the Mystery of the Camp Prowler, the cousins cram sleuthing into a tight schedule and still manage to learn lessons about doing right despite what others think and the value of a lifetime of service to others. With this Double Cousins adventure you can have summer camp anytime you want!

Sarah-Jane and her two cousins try to uncover the identity of the mysterious old woman who makes the sock monkeys sold at the local craft store.

Wilf believes he is too old for summer camp and is determined to escape from it.

When Shizuye Takashima, “Shichan” as she was called, was eleven years old, her entire world changed forever. As a Japanese-Canadian in 1941, she was among thousands of people forced from their homes and sent to live in internment camps in the Canadian Rockies. Although none had been convicted of any crime, they were considered the enemy because the country was at war with Japan. In this true story of sadness and joy, Shichan recalls her life in the days leading up to her family’s forced movement to the camp, her fear, anger, and frustration as the war drags on, and the surprising joys in the camp: a Kabuki play, holiday celebrations, and the ever-present beauty of the stars.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year! A multicultural family story that celebrates kindness and differences Lila is excited for her cousins Takeo and Rosie to visit. They're going to ride bikes, paint, and camp together! But when the cousins arrive, everything's wrong: Rosie and Takeo are better painters than Lila, have skateboards instead of bikes, and don't want to camp outside. Lila is terribly disappointed until the cousins make her a surprise: a big banner for their "best cousin" Lila! Inspired by the author's own large, diverse family, When the Cousins Came is a sensitive story about insecurity, hosting, and friendship. Katie Yamasaki's tale, paired with bright mixed-media art, reminds children that negative thoughts and anxiety over exclusion don't always translate to reality, and that even when plans go wrong you can still have a good time together.