Ms. George makes the common events of a family camping trip such as pitching the tent, getting dressed, sitting around the campfire, walking a path, and toasting marshmallows seem special and unforgettable.  She does this with exquisitely descriptive yet simple poems about each part of the camping trip.  Someone who had not ever been camping would know some of the feelings and smells after reading this book.  It is a memory scrapbook for those of us who have been camping.  School Library Journal says, “George has penned 30 sublimely simple poems that capture the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations of a family's camping trip, from pitching the tent to pulling up stakes and returning home. All of the selections convey a child-focused sense of wonder as the campers explore the lakefront and surrounding terrain, enjoy the marvels of the natural world, relish meals round the campfire, and toast marshmallows ("This is art-/a time of serious reflection/as my pillowed confection/slowly reaches golden perfection")“.

Ms. George writes about simple subjects such as in Rain Dance, where birds fly through wet leaves and it rains underneath, that the whole book conveys the spirit of the simple life of camping.  She also catches the emotions of family life such as leaning on Mom at the campfire and taking care of a bratty brother. This collection of poems is written from a first person view of a child.  The text never says whether it’s a girl or boy.  A literary device called concrete poetry, shaping the text into the shape of the subject, is one of the enjoyable parts of the text.  This can be seen in the poems Tent, Storm, Flashlight, and Eavesdropping.  School Library Journal says, “All of the selections convey a child-focused sense of wonder as the campers explore the lakefront and surrounding terrain, enjoy the marvels of the natural world, relish meals round the campfire, and toast marshmallows ("This is art-/a time of serious reflection/as my pillowed confection/slowly reaches golden perfection"). The poems are varied and inventive, replete with marvelous images and universal truths.”

The artwork conveys the spirit and tone of the book.  Ms. Kiesler portrays the narrator as a girl in middle childhood.  Her acrylic paintings show the beauty of nature as well as the feelings and activities of the campers.  School Library Journal says, “Some of Kiesler's artwork sweeps across double pages to provide a dramatic vista-a meandering hiking trail, a field of wild mustard, a star-studded night sky-while other pictures reveal small, but equally telling details.” 

Children’s Literature says, “One can almost see the starlit night, taste the marshmallows, and hear the buzzing insects as words and illustrations combine in this unique collaboration.” 

Toth, Luann. Review of Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems in School Library Journal.   Available from:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/061804597X//qid=1096423280/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/103-0793717-0123819?v=glance&s=books&vi=reviews.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=6Y4yQH8ADZ&isbn=061804597X&itm=1#REV. Accessed 5 October 2004