Kiki goes to camp

By Charlotte Steiner

Subjects: Girls Adventures, Children's Books, 1950's Girls Stories, Children's Literature

Description: "Kiki Goes to Camp" is one in a series of books by author Charlotte Steiner, written from around the 1940's through the late 1950's. Kiki is a little girl about seven years of age who leads a very exciting life and she gets to experience events most girls only dream about. Kiki has a pet, a little dog named "Muffy" who shares her adventures. Kiki gets to go ice skating in winter, camping with friends in the summer and she takes ballet classes. She also has everyday experiences like doing homework and getting sick. The Kiki books are simply drawn, but very appealing to young girls (and perhaps boys at that time), up to about age 9-10. I know of Steiner's "Kiki" books because as a student growing in the the New York City Public School system, they were my favorite choices during "quiet reading time" from grades 2-4. These books not only helped me to be a better reader, they also gave me wonderful imaginary experiences while reading them. Today I am a veteran Art teacher for grades K-12, and college, and have of course encountered hundreds of books on a myriad of subjects and levels. But I will never forget the beautiful quiet moments spent with Kiki in her world, and thanks to those books, I learned that there was no limit to the world I could create for myself.