Here are some of my favorite books to introduce the fine art of camping-out to kids.

The Kids Campfire Book
by Jane Drake and Ann Love, illustrated by Heather Collins (Kids Can Press, $14.95) Ages 8+

It covers everything a kid (or grownup) needs to know about camping with How-to's on choosing a site, making a fire safely, cooking on a fire, beating the bugs, games, campfire songs, and a sprinkling of ghost stories that are sure to keep kids awake for awhile. The illustrations make it particularly kid-friendly; even the index is fun!

Sleeping in a Sack--Camping Activities for Kids
Cooking on a Stick-- Campfire Recipes for Kids
by Linda White, illustrated by Fran Lee (Gibbs Smith Publisher, $9.95 each) Ages 6+
These are two of the most kid-oriented books on camping with kids you're going to find. Wrapped around concise and thorough information, readers will enjoy hundreds of nifty illustrations that show kids essential camp skills, and how to sing favorite camp songs, identify constellations, throw hand shadows on the tent wall, and lots more. The companion cooking volume has 24 recipes to cook on a stick, in an aluminum pouch or on a grill, obviously kid-tested recipes with great names (my favorite is Snails on a Limb) and tasty results. Included are details on making a fire, cooking on a fire, as well as putting out the fire, plus tips from Rikki Raccoon.

Kids Camp! Activities for the Backyard or Wilderness
By Laurie Carlson, illustrated by Judith Dammel (Chicago Review Press, $14.95) Ages 4-12
This activity guide offers inexpensive, worthwhile projects with diagrams and safety notes. Kids will learn how to make their own camping equipment, games for outdoor entertainment, and snacks and meals for breaks on the trail. A great option for crafty children!

Bailey Goes Camping
by Kevin Henkes (Mulberry Books, $6.99)
In this book, little Bailey gets left at home, shows little ones how to enjoy living in a tent (a sheet over the clothesline), going fishing (in the tub), listening to ghost stories (in pj's on the couch) and sleeping under the stars (in his bed by the window).

Here are some of my favorite tips about how to introduce the fine art of camping-out to kids.

• Before they head off to camp, do a "test run" in a nearby campground to make sure equipment performs properly. There's nothing worse than finding out that zippers on sleeping bags jam or that kids don't know how to close the tent!
• Give them lots of practice with these new skills and a chance to learn about camping skills. Some kids are totally surprised that they are ready for sleep by eight and up at five.
• Kids often become voracious eaters when camping, so planning extra meals and snacks is not a bad idea. Many a camping child who would never think of eating a vegetable at home will eagerly ask for seconds if it was cooked in a fire.
• Leave electronics at home; camping is supposed to be different! If the thought of "No Walkman" is too abhorrent to contemplate, you might put old batteries in it before they leave.
• Once they get out in the wild, most kids are thrilled with the new and dangerous world of knives, hatchets, fire, sticks, skunk visits, and forget about the music.
• When packing, be sure to include extra pairs of glasses or contacts for your kid, too; it's always a mystery how glasses disappear on camping trips and how contact lenses get attacked by dust devils and tumbleweed fragments at inopportune moments.

Camping is often the first adventure for kids learning independence. Give them the story-models they need and they'll do just fine!

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