I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
We all know the legend if Bigfoot-but what about the legend of campers? This cute picture book turns the legend of Bigfoot upside down as a Bigfoot tells readers how to best avoid campers. But no matter how careful he is, everything goes wrong. A sweet story of friendship, The Bigfoot Field Guide to Campers shows readers that first impressions can be wrong, and friends can be found in the most unlikely of places.

🦶 Ages: 5–9

This book is just pure fun. Presented as a guide “written” by a Bigfoot named I.M. Furry (with a little help from Jami Gigot), it’s a delightfully silly—and sneakily thoughtful—look at what life is like for a Bigfoot dealing with the strange, mysterious, and occasionally alarming creatures that wander into their forest… a.k.a. campers.

Through adorable and often hilarious illustrations, the book acts as a kind of survival guide for Bigfoots trying to understand and avoid the wild ways of humans. Campers are described as “hairless-limbed” and “emitters of horrible odors,” and the tone is just the right mix of deadpan and playful. My favorite part? The over-the-top warnings and strategies Bigfoots have developed to deal with these terrifying intruders—like practicing correct identification and watching for suspicious trail mix consumption.

But beneath the laughs, there’s actually a sweet little message here. We learn why Bigfoots are so wary of humans: they’ve seen their forests damaged by our presence. And yet, there’s a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, campers and Bigfoots can learn to understand each other—maybe even be friends.

It’s a perfect pick for kids who love cryptids, campers, or books that mix humor with heart. Plus, the illustrations are jam-packed with fun little details that make this one you’ll want to read more than once. Just be warned: if you’re heading out on a hike, your kid might be on high alert for suspiciously large footprints…

The Bigfoot Field Guide to Campers will be published May 6, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kids Can Press, and Jamie Gigot for this free, advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Squid review! I don't know if it was the story or my use of silly voices, but Squid was delighted with this one. He awwwwed and engaged and asked questions the whole time.

The story of was genuinely cute and funny, the art was lovely, and I think kids will truly enjoy this one.

I love this and it's perfect for summer! This book was fun to read, and gave information in a way that made it fun for my kids (2yo+4yo.) My 2yo had a lot of fun with it and the illustrations were cute!

I.M. Furry, with help from Jami Gigot, has written and illustrated the adorable “The Bigfoot Field Guide to Campers: And Other Mysterious Creatures.”

The short book features a guidebook that tells Bigfoots about the creatures they might encounter in the forest and their traits, including one “so treacherous, that Bigfoots have come to fear them above all others … Campers!” It also explains why Bigfoots have come to fear campers over time, revealing activities campers did that had a negative impact on Bigfoot’s home.

But perhaps, over time, they might be able to find friendship.

The story offers several guidelines for Bigfoots to survive the invasion of campers, like “correct identification is key,” and traits like “Campers are clearly recognizable by their hairless limbs and faces” and “they emit horrible odors.”

Using child-level humor, with tickles, farts, toots and potty-going, “The Bigfoot Field Guide to Campers: And Other Mysterious Creatures,” which is due out May 6, is also filled with fun and colorful illustrations by the author Jami Gigot.

This story will definitely become a family favorite, with both chuckles and sweet moments.

Five stars out of five.

Kids Can Press provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

Bigfoot has a story to tell: the Legend of the Campers. This species are real, with their click-flashers invading Bigfoot's homes, and this guide gives readers the steps necessary to take precautions from these creatures. This 'field guide' is a very silly elementary picture book that I think kids would really like. It's told from the Bigfoot's perspective, and would be a fun read aloud to discuss with young readers. The illustrations in this book are well done, and I like the formatting of the book with the guidelines and the sweet ending with the Bigfoot making a friend with a human girl.

This is a fun and fantastical book about campers. My children and I both enjoyed this book greatly. We love to camp, and they enjoyed seeing similarities or things that we usually do while camping.

A humorous field guide about campers from Bigfoot’s perspective. Vibrant illustrations show Bigfoot reading the wacky field guide to readers. Perfect for nature-themed storytimes with and sure to garner some giggles.

Awesome book! I love how this story combines myth, friendship, and humor - flawlessly. Bigfoot is already such a fun myth to choose for a kids' book, and giving the creature a new and unique personality was such a clever idea! Another good idea that the author had for this book was the opposites of the writing and the visuals. The writing throughout is notes from The Bigfoot Field Guide, while pictures show a Bigfoot gradually becoming friends with a (gasp!) camper. This style doesn't always work but when it does it's impressive, and the author made it so. Lastly, this book is funny all around. I know for certain that kids will be giggling at every part of this book, and they will likely have a lot of fun while reading. Bravo!

This is an enjoyable story for all ages. Kids (and grown-ups) who love Bigfoot will especially love this book. The spin on Bigfoot being curious about humans is entertaining. There are some humorous parts that kids will find funny, too. The illustrations aren't really the style I enjoy personally, but they work for the story, and they are still good.

the concept of this is great fun—i personally love urban legends and remember how captivating each one was when i was younger. this is a very fun spin on that. using a very popular urban legend for some fun forest education is so awesome!

the twist of the legend being the campers is also a wonderful teaching moment. maybe the animals that scare us are far more scared of us! and then, surely we need to treat their homes/habitats with respect? anyway my favorite pages are absolutely 18-19, i adore that little girl’s slack jawed expression.

to fin., some great early examples of irony are in here too; overall a very cute little book.

This is a cute twist on the bigfoot story. I love any book that encourages empathy by having children look at something from a different perspective.

I didn't love the illustration or text, design, though. Bigfoot wasn't quite right either. But the story is cute and outdoorsy kids especially will get a kick out of it.

Thank you for the ARC. I'll purchase for my library.

Very funny! Yes it is geared for kids, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great illustrations and funny throughout.
I would recommend for all ages!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a cute book! Coming from someone that is around Scouts this is the perfect give for your girls scout or scout in general! Illustrations were simple and cute. Went well with the topic of the book. Love the twist on who is telling the story! A book within a book! I would recommend this book for all who love camping, scouting, bigfoot or a fun bedtime read for a little one!

This is a super cute and humorous little picture book from the point of view of a Bigfoot. There is a lot of helpful information about campers, such as how to identify them and deal with them -- and don't let them take your picture!
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Cute field guide book. I love comparing the words with the illustrations. It is entertaining and fun. Loved the format.

A clever way of subverting official advice about the enemy, this has a Bigfoot read a guidebook to the horrors that are campers – the noisome, smelly but hairless human children, with their cameras and their camping songs and their s'mores… The book it reads says they are dreaded things that are not friendly, and must never be interacted with – but when this one is forced to not only do that but help a lost girl guide, he finds the advice to be complete cockamamie. The fact this is overlaid with the advice that is to be ignored shows this as a simple inversion, and the reader sees two characters accept differences while the book insists the friendship will never lead to anything good. Well-crafted, very simple – and yet very clever with it, this is a strong four stars.

netgalley ARC - I liked how this was written from a bigfoot perspective and how the interactions between bigfoot and camper was mostly wordless. Sweet.

This story is absolutely adorable! Told from the unique perspective of Bigfoot, it humorously captures the misunderstood ‘dangers’ of young campers—who are really just little scouts exploring the great outdoors. The illustrations are charming and perfectly complement the playful tone of the story. I’d highly recommend this book as a gift for the little campers or scouts in your life. It’s the perfect read for sharing stories around the campfire!

I received an advanced copy with no obligation to review. All thoughts are my own and completely unbiased.

Thank you for the ARC. This was such a cute story with cute illustrations. My son is too young to understand the story yet but it was very cute and oh so accurate about campers.