When he is given a sleeping bag, canteen and flashlight for his birthday, Christopher can't wait to use them to camp out. Unfortunately, his back yard in the city is far too noisy for such an activity. The first night of his holiday at his family's summer cottage, he decides to sleep out at the nearby creek. But when unfamiliar noises startle him in the night, and rain makes him uncomfortable, he ends up retreating to an abandoned farmhouse nearby. Here he finds that he has been pursued, not by a wolf, as he imagined, but by Bodger, his pet dog...

Published in 1973, Sleep Out was the first of eight picture-books featuring Christopher and his adventures from author/illustrator team Carol and Donald Carrick. It pairs an engaging story about a youngster testing the limits of his independence, and learning to overcome his fears, with appealing illustrations. The visuals here sometimes feel a little bit dated - the furniture, the car - but are nevertheless charming, and the forest scenes have a timeless quality to them (naturally). Recommended to anyone who enjoys vintage picture-books, or who is looking for children's stories about sleeping outside for the first time. ( )