Today was the first full day of summer break from school here. All my girls received some Real Mail from Grandma, but so far, only the littlest has made anything to send back. Next week, the oldest will attend day camp, but none of the
girls have yet experienced a sleep-away camp. I didn't go away to camp until
the summer between my junior and senior years of college, when I worked
as an arts and crafts counselor and had a cabin of eight-year-olds down in North Carolina.
Postcards From Camp, A Postal Story Presented By Simms Taback, is great fun for campers and mail artists alike. The art was created by hand using mixed media, collage and gouache. I am particularly thrilled by the use of postage stamps, both real and imagined. Every time I flip through it I see something I missed before.
The book begins with a foldout list of camp essentials, and the story is told through the exchange of illustrated postcards and letters by camper Michael Stevens and his father Harry Stevens. The postcards are printed on the pages, but the four letters slide out of actual envelopes secured to the pages (like the Griffin and Sabine books.)
Michael isn't so sure he wants to stay at camp, but with time and postal encouragement from his dad, this humorous story has a happy ending. Both my older daughters (ages eight and twelve) have enjoyed reading and rereading this one.
Feeling inspired? Send some mail art to camp! Check out this post over at Good Mail Day, and help Marissa get her campers excited about
Real Mail!
I keep seeing more and more mail and stationery products related to camp. It's a fun theme. I feel like Paper Source had a whole bunch of stuff last time I was there. Michaels had some last year too.
ReplyDeleteI wrote lots of letters at camp!
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