My daughter (5) and I really enjoyed this book. The cozy fall feeling, discussion of traditions, and learning how to roll with the punches when things don't go the way you wanted were really well represented. My daughter is really interested in maps and how to read them, so we spent a fair amount of time inspecting and discussing the map as she tried to figure out the best way to get all the lost items. The illustrations are quite cute, and really add to the cozy fall feel. The section at the back explaining aspects of the book was a good read for me, and gave me some good ideas for further discussions with my kids. We read this ebook through NetGalley.

Camilla is impressed with what she and her friends have made as regards the Fall Festival – a delightful party-land in the woods. Her contribution included the map to let everyone know where everything is. But when a storm blows through the woods and scatters everything to all corners, it looks like the whole thing is off, ruined. How could her friends hope to get it all back together in time?

This wants us to think about tradition and such ceremonies as the Fall Festival, and bouncing back from disappointment and what looks like failure, AND spatial thinking, such as map-reading and being aware of how to navigate. And it manages all that with a pleasant, enjoyable story? Such a thing would defeat many, but this seems just fine – it has the sense of being something to be read for the fun rather than the resulting knowledge and navigation experience. I don't know anything about the three books before this in the series, but they seem to be doing enough and generating enough young readers wanting to turn to them, and with this a strong four stars there cannot be thought to have been a drop in quality up to now. On the contrary, this seems like a huge success; Camilla is not alone in showing signs of being impressed.

Book Review: Camilla and the Fall Festival by Julie Dillemuth

Rating: 5 Stars

I absolutely loved diving into Camilla and the Fall Festival! This charming fourth installment in the Camilla the Cartographer series truly captures the magic and warmth of fall through the eyes of our favorite mapping boar.

The story centers around Camilla, who adores everything about autumn—from the rustling dried leaves that remind her of treasured old maps to the cozy, book-filled evenings. But most of all, she looks forward to the annual Fall Festival, a celebration filled with hazelnut bread, chestnut pudding, leaf art, and pinecone patterns. Alongside her trusty friend Parsley the porcupine and their forest companions, Camilla prepares for this beloved event. However, a sudden windstorm threatens to ruin all their hard work by scattering decorations far and wide just before the festival is set to begin.

What unfolds is a heartwarming tale about teamwork, adaptability, and embracing change. Thanks to Camilla’s clever mapping skills and the community’s spirit, they find a way to salvage the festival—and even create new traditions in the process. It’s a beautiful reminder that sometimes unexpected challenges can lead to wonderful new experiences.

Beyond the story itself, I have to mention how gorgeous this book is. The cover is absolutely adorable and instantly drew me in. The illustrations inside have a lovely crayon-like texture that perfectly captures the rich, warm colors of fall—think deep oranges, reds, and golden yellows. It feels like a cozy celebration of the season on every page.

Camilla and the Fall Festival would be a fantastic addition to any young child’s library or classroom. It’s an inviting story with engaging visuals that celebrate friendship, creativity, and the beauty of change. I can already imagine little readers curling up with this book every autumn! Highly recommend it for anyone looking for a sweet seasonal read. Five stars all the way! 🌟🍂📚

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

BLUF: Great lessons to share and employ for hard situations.

Overall: 4⭐
Lesson: 5📍
Illustration: 3 🖌️

Mom's Review:
I really appreciated the various learning points in the story to stop and discuss the techniques used to regain calm, to redirect when a plan isn't working, when severely disappointed. I see myself using some of the lessons from this book in the future to help "A" & "C" in similar situations. None of us were too keen on the illustrations and for the younger readers, especially the non-readers, those images do really matter.

"A's" Review
I wasn't sure I liked the pictures this time however I loved the hedgehog! They're so cute. But I could read the story easily and I sometimes have to use these same tricks to calm down when I'm disappointed.

"C's" Review
Camilla was a little scary looking so I didn't really pay attention to this one.

Julie Dillemuth, Magination Press, & NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book!

All reviews are our own.

what a lovely lesson on resilience, flexibility, and adaptation. Camilla's festival plans go awry, but her friends help her pivot, multiple times, to make fun in their own way. Even if it wasn't what they originally planned.

I recommend this lovely picture book for preschools and libraries.

Camilla and the Fall Festival opens with Camilla and her friends in the midst of preparing for a fall festival. They’ve baked, decorated and planned but then a big wind comes along and destroys all their hard work. Rather than give up, Camilla draws up a map of all the lost items and she and her friends set about retrieving and redecorating, determined to still have their fall festival!

I absolutely love that Camilla is a cartographer that teaches kids about map making and spacial awareness! I love that traditions are important. I love that Camilla and her friends don’t give up, they preserve and keep going!

Thank you to Netgalley and Magination Press for an early release copy of this book!

Camilla and the Fall Festival releases August 5th, 2025-mark your calendar!

I loved the examples of figurative language throughout the story (alliterations, personification, etc.), which make this book a great one to use for lessons with students. The rhymes and use of higher tiered vocabulary also create great learning opportunities for young readers!
I liked that there was no main bad guy except for the wind, and the way Camilla and her friends solved the problem was creative and fun. The art was adorable and compelling. I thought the story also provided a lot of ideas for companion activities such as creating maps and scavenger hunts.

The reader's note at the end was a helpful touch as it explained how the story included flexible thinking which can be a challenging concept for some children. I would love to adopt this book for my curriculum and talk about other fall traditions.

Our favorite mapping boar is back in her fourth adventure!
This is so hillarious, to read the story of Camilla and the Fall Festival...

I did not expect this cute little book to offer so much. The social emotional theme of flexible thinking and coping with change is tied in well with the animals traditional fall festival celebration which is threatened by poor weather. When you add in the cute, and certainly unique, animal characters,, there is more to love. Teachers, parents, and librarians will benefit from the detailed back matter that even offers ways for the book to be used in connection with math/science/STEAM curriculum. This is also easily read as a stand alone, but will certainly look for the others in the series!

Camilla was so excited about the fall festival until the wind destroyed all their hard work. They decide to make a map to get all the lost decorations back. This is perfect for ages 5-7 who love to make maps and this book showcases how they sketch out a map to find everything.

Some themes in the book are
- Coping with change: Flexible Thinking
- Appreciating Traditions
- Spatial Thinking

Thank you to NetGalley and American Psychological Association for the advanced reader copy.

I voluntarily read this book and found it to be adorable. This book shows children that even when things don't go as planned, there is always a way to work it out. I loved this story. I will be using this in my classroom!

Mother of two here, and we thought Camillia and the Fall Festival, by Julie Dillemuth, was so cute! Although the story was predictable, we love to swap out our books for the season so this would be perfect to add to our fall collection. The illustrations, by Laura Wood, were beautiful! We loved that the main character was a warthog. The kids loved pointing out all the different animals working together to recreate the fall festival. There were a few phrases that my 8-year-old didn’t recognize, while reading to my 5-year-old, but we would recommend this to another family as a fall-themed book to add to their seasonal collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Magination Press for this eARC!

Netgalley ARC- enjoyable for sure! I appreciate the themes of spatial thinking and problem-solving as a community, especially in the face of what feels like a problem too large to handle.

Camilla plans a fall festival, but things don't go her way. She and her friends learn to adapt to overcome the obstacle. My children really enjoyed this one.

I was really excited to see another book about Camilla the cartographer, and this book makes you want to instantly transport to fall. Everyone loves a fall festival-- combined with a treasure hunt, and you can't ask for much more. I loved that the book didn't gloss over the friends' initial disappointment when they saw everything ruined by the windstorm. It was a great lesson in turning something disappointing into something positive. We often do scavenger hunts at home, and this book offered great inspiration to add mapping to our next one!

My family loves these books about Camilla the cartographer, and this is another cute addition! The time is approaching for the fall festival, and the forest animals are busy preparing. But when a storm messes up their plans, can Camilla help save the day? The story is sweet and wholesome, the characters are kind, and the illustrations are lovely. The book ends with notes for parents about topics covered and how they can be applied at home. I highly recommend these sweet stories!

Thank you to American Psychological Association for gifting me with an ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

A captivating children's story about a wild boar that is trying to save a fall festival. Dillemuth astonishes the reader with charming descriptions of autumn and a unique array of characters. With a clear-cut conflict and solution, Dillemuth takes us on an adventure as we uncover the story of a wild boar and its friends trying to preserve a fall festival.

I received an ARC of this children's book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an adorable book. The pictures and the story are both really cute!

Thank you to NetGalley and American Psychological Association for the eARC!
This book is adorable! The illustrations were beautifully done and I loved the cast of characters. The book was short and sweet but it delivered a great message about adaptability and working together as a community. I would enjoy using this in a fall lesson for my language groups.

Camilla is so excited for the fall festival, but it seems like nothing can go right! She ends up finding new ways to make sure the festival can still happen, even if it's different from this time around. The illustrations are very sweet.

Camilla and the Fall Festival is a sweet picture book that manages to fit in many important skills and coping mechanisms in a short story (flexible thinking, appreciating traditions, and spatial thinking). I really liked that there were ways to expand on the three listed at the end. This would be helpful for families or adults reading this book with children.

Thanks to APA and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.