Up Close and Personal: Campfires and Creepy Calls by Ranu Gupta Takes Children into the Wilds of the Jungle on the Camping Trip of a Lifetime

Nightengale Press announces the release of Campfires and Creepy Calls, a full color book for young readers. These books are fun reading and yet are eye-opening for kids who love nature, wild animals, and knowing the way things really are at night in the jungle.

(PRWEB) July 22, 2005 -- Ranu Gupta's art work has been exhibited in India, Nigeria and Bahrain. Ms. Gupta holds degrees from Delhi University, Bombay University and London University. And, her travels have taken her to Nigeria, which she discovered wild places, which gave her ideas for her stories. In Campfires and Creepy Calls, Paul takes his first trip to the Wild Life Sanctuary. His friends all travel during the summer months, leaving him alone at home. So, he decides to go on a safari in order to camp, trek and practice his photography.

The first day he meets Phillip, about his age and just as tall as he is. They settle into the rugged-looking cabins, which turn out to be very comfortable. But in the middle of the night, when it has turned dark and cold, the campers join their guide for their first night out. The haunting beauty of the jungle contrasts with the nights sounds of the creatures which inhabit the night. All the campers are jumpy and unnerved by the simplest sounds in the dark. Imaginations run wild, as they meet the raw reality of survival and death in the jungle.

As the campers set up camp in the night, the sounds of cicadas and crickets orchestrate the pitching of tents and starting of watch fires. The campers struggle with fear of the predators that stalk in the night, and the intricacies of getting the tents to stay standing. Fatigue tests their courage to continue through the night. Their guide told stories of his experiences as the campers cooked up dinner over the campfire. And, then they all settle into their tents for the night.

Dawn brings the new day, a chill in the early morning air and hot tea to accompany the morning sandwiches. The beauty of birds and lush forest vegetation balanced the previous nights feasting predators. The stark beauty of Nature, in spite of the incessant insects, overcomes the harsh realities of the survival of the fittest.

Ms. Guptas illustrations lend a hand to the imagination by rendering the images from the story in a beautifully accessible way. CAMPFIRES AND CREEPY CALLS is available online at the Nightengale Press Bookstore at www.nightengalepress.biz. Ms. Gupta's website will launch in early August 2005 at www.ranugupta.npsuthors.com where interested nature organizations can develop affiliate links.

CAMPFIRES AND CREEPY CALLS by Ranu Gupta, ISBN 0-9761289-1-8, $16.95US, BELLAS NEW SWEATER ISBN 1-933499-04-7 $18.95US and online at www.nightengalepress.com, on www.amazon.com

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