A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee

Hit the trail with Mr. Magee and his little dog Dee!

Mr. Magee is a plucky chap with a long-nosed best buddy (“his little dog, Dee”) and a Rambler convertible, and in his happy world it’s always  1962.  In this adventure, the two friends head off for a few days of camping in the Maine wilderness, where, as Mr. Magee enthuses, “The views are fantastic!  There’s hardly a sound. / Aside from the wildlife, there’s no one around.”  But things get complicated when a nearsighted and very hungry black bear visits the Magee campsite after the two travelers have turned in for the night.

Van Dusen’s crisp artwork, full of funny and authentic detail, glows with the warm pastels of the early 60’s: aquas, corals, and teals abound. It’s a delicious journey into a color palette that people my age—51—remember from childhood.

If you like this book, check out Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee and Learning to Ski with Mr. Magee.