Camilla and the Fall Festival

K-Gr 3–Camilla, the geography-minded pig, is back, this time to celebrate all things fall. Camilla is excited for the crisp scents and warm flavors of autumn. Young readers will delight in the cozy descriptions and gentle visuals of Camilla and her forest friends collecting food and then toasting chestnuts and hazelnuts as the wind picks up speed outside their window. The turn in the book comes when the wind has blown all the decorations away, and it appears that the long-awaited Fall Festival will be completely ruined. Listening to all the animals, Camilla has an idea, and her cartography skills are quickly applied, saving the day. Better yet, Camilla’s flexible thinking shows readers how to be solution-oriented and positive. Teachers and students alike will rejoice in the gentle but important lessons learned in this delightful and engaging book. The joys of anticipation and the despair of disappointment that Camilla feels will resonate with young readers. For teachers and parents, the accompanying reader’s note provides plenty of helpful discussion questions and extension activities to develop children’s social-emotional flexibility and spatial thinking.