Editorial Review

“Max, the hero of what is really a clever exercise in reverse psychology, could just be the secret weapon that parents (and Jewish educators) are looking for in convincing recalcitrant kids to give Jewish camp a try. Resisting his mother’s attempts to get him into the tub, Max regales her with stories of the special activities he had Sunday through Thursday at camp—none of which culminate in a bath (‘On Wednesdays we go canoeing in the lake. The water is green and muddy and sometimes we catch frogs…but there are NO BATHS AT CAMP!’) So does Max ever take a bath at camp? Sure, in preparation for Shabbat –24 hours that are so magical in so many ways that even the most defiantly schmutzy (dirty) kid would deem the occasion bath-worthy. Vasquez’s (Ten Little Apples) collaged scenes of non-stop camp life, created from cutout drawings and photographic elements (a blazing campfire made of a photo of flames is particularly impressive) bring to life Fox’s cheery but literal text, and lend an appropriately arts-and-crafts feel to the pages. Brimming with what veteran Jewish campers will immediately recognize as ruach (spirit), this book should prompt many youngsters to ask, ‘Am I old enough to go?’”—Publishers Weekly