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Kick Back, And Have Fun!
Suzy & Roxy Go Camping follows two best friends with very different personalities who learn important lessons in friendship and flexibility while camping during a thunderstorm. Where did the idea for this story come from?
Definitely from camping with my Dad when I was a kid! He was very organized and packed what we needed. Now me…that was a different story! I packed so much stuff, it was literally falling out of my Dad’s truck when we opened the door! We would have so much fun even though we both definitely had different ideas about what was “necessary” to pack!
Even now, as an adult, I tend to pack a lot when I go camping with my husband and family. I honestly have to laugh when I think about it! A weekend camping trip looks like a 2-week excursion through ALL the elements imaginable when I pack!
Suzy is very organized, and Roxy is more spontaneous—what do you love most about each of them?
I love that they both make it work as a team, just like me and Dad did when camping! I love how Suzy doesn’t get upset at Roxy; she may wonder what she’s up to packing all this stuff, but she accepts her for who she is! I also love how Roxy likes to take it easy, kick back, and have fun! I feel they both complement each other.
How do you balance teaching a message while still keeping the story fun and light?
I think this is so important! You want to have fun, but you also want to make sure you weave a little lesson or take-away into the mix. I think that’s important in Suzy & Roxy Go Camping. These are two best buddies, with different personalities, who make the most out of a rainy day at the campgrounds. They roll with the punches and I think that’s a great life lesson. Sometimes you have to just do your best and make the most out of a situation.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
Yay! So excited to be working on my next book! I’ll be including a new character in the next “Suzy & Roxy” book! I’m hoping for a Spring/Summer 2027 release! Stay tuned, Suzy & Roxy friends!
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Suzy & Roxy Go Camping
Suzy & Roxy Go Camping follows two best friends as they head out for a camping trip with a cheerful plan and very different personalities. Suzy is organized, practical, and eager to make the day special, while Roxy is more impulsive, overpacked, and charmingly scattered. When rain and lightning threaten to ruin their outing, the story turns into a gentle little celebration of flexibility, friendship, and the unexpected usefulness of all the extra things Roxy dragged along. It’s a simple arc that lands cleanly, and the book never loses sight of the warmth between its two leads.
What I liked most was how kindly the book understands the push and pull between planning and spontaneity. It doesn’t turn Suzy into the sensible hero and Roxy into the comic problem. Instead, it lets both of them be right in their own way, and that gives the story a sweetness that feels earned. The writing is straightforward, as you’d expect for a children’s book, but it has a nice emotional clarity to it. I especially liked that the conflict stays child-sized. A rainy camping trip is disappointing, but not devastating, and that scale makes the book feel reassuring. It says, in effect, that a spoiled plan doesn’t have to become a spoiled day.
I also found the artwork a huge part of the book’s appeal. The illustrations are bright, cute, and full of personality, with an almost storybook-cartoon softness that suits the tone beautifully. Roxy’s flair, Suzy’s earnestness, the rain gear, the umbrellas, the rubber duck boots, the bubble-filled indoor fun, all of it gives the book a buoyant visual rhythm. I was especially taken with how the stormy scenes never become overly gloomy. Even when the weather turns, the pages still feel playful and inviting, and that matters in a story built around disappointment giving way to delight. The visual world is cozy, colorful, and emotionally legible in exactly the way a good children’s picture book should be.
This is a genuinely tender little book about adaptability, companionship, and the way different personalities can balance each other out. I’d recommend this picture book to young children who enjoy animal characters, camping themes, and stories about friendship that feel comforting without becoming bland. This one would be a lovely read for kids who need a soft reminder that sometimes the day you planned isn’t the day you get, and that can still turn out beautifully.
Pages: 32 | ISBN : 978-1952199356
