Isadora Moon Goes Camping

Harriet Muncaster's Isadora Moon Goes Camping is a sweet seaside adventure for 5 year olds, told by a little girl who's half fairy and half vampire.

What happens

It's the first day back at school and everyone's sharing their summer at show-and-tell. Zoe went to France. Oliver stayed in a hotel by the beach. Isadora slides down in her seat, because her holiday was not normal (not even a tiny bit).

So she tells the class what happened. Mum waves her wand, a tent appears in the kitchen, and they're off to a campsite by the sea. Dad, being a vampire, does NOT do camping. He packs five enormous suitcases, one of them bursting with hair products, and hogs the only shower for hours while a queue of grumpy campers waits outside.

Then Isadora borrows his most precious thing, his great-great-great-grandfather's jewelled comb, to finish off her sandcastle. And the tide comes in.

What follows is a night flight to the beach with Pink Rabbit, a mermaid called Marina and an underwater palace. There a lonely mermaid princess has kept the comb for herself, and she won't give it back until Isadora has played every game she can think of.

The lovely thing for little ones is how real Isadora's worry feels. She knows she should own up. She tries, and the words won't come out. Who hasn't had that guilty tummy ache? The relief when she finally tells Dad the truth is just as real.

There are proud moments too. Isadora swims underwater for the very first time to rescue her baby sister's dummy. Dad misses it, and minds that he missed it, which is quietly rather sweet.

It's gentle and funny and full of sparkle, and it reads aloud beautifully at bedtime. If your reader has just started school and comes home with LOTS to say about their weekend, they'll know that show-and-tell feeling well.

What to read next

If this is their first Isadora book, Isadora Moon Goes to School is where it all begins, with Isadora trying to decide whether she belongs at fairy school or vampire school.