Starry Safari [Hardcover]

Linda Ashman (Author), Jeff Mack (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

Beep! Beep! Beep! A daring girl and her trusty orange jeep are off on an exciting safari. There are giraffes to watch, rhinos to race, and wily crocodiles to avoid. And when a roaring lion crosses her path, she knows exactly what to do: roar back! But will she be as courageous when it's time for bed and there are lots of scary night noises?

Action packed from beginning to end, this rhyming adventure will keep young readers on the edge of their seats. Going on safari has never been more fun!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-An entertaining tale in which a girl's vivid imagination whisks her away to Africa. The text begins, "Racing in my sturdy jeep-on safari! Beep! Beep! Beep!" Zebras, giraffe, water buffalo, and a crocodile are some of the beasts she encounters. The large, double-spread acrylic illustrations humorously depict her adventures with the creatures, some friendly and some not so. The child is quite capable of fending for herself until, "Uh-oh. Footsteps. Greater danger! It's the Big Safari Ranger." While Dad is tucking her in again, the collection of toy animals scattered over the bedclothes reveals where all those fancies originated. Bold words such as "SCREEEEEECH!" "YIKES!" "CRASH!" and "ROAR!!!" are clear indicators that a reading just before bedtime may wake a child up rather than lull one to sleep. The richly colored pictures and constant action make this a good choice for storytime. Ashman's Sailing off to Sleep (S & S, 2001) has a similar, though quieter, ending while this title is a rip-roaring, exciting excursion.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-K. Racing through the jungle in her sturdy jeep, the unnamed narrator encounters threatening wildebeests, a^B giraffe, an angry rhino, an ostrich, "a roadblock buffalo," and more. When a lion pounces on her tent, she scares it off by roaring back. And then there are all those noises in the night: roar, rumble, snort, squeal. The greatest threat, however, is the booted Big Safari Ranger, who tucks her into her bed at home "again," where she nestles comfortably beside the stuffed toy animals that populate her jungle fantasy. Large type bounces in rhythm with the vividly colored, action-packed acrylic illustrations, showing the^B round-faced, dot-eyed, grinning girl courageously confronting all the animals that come her way. Preschoolers will recognize most of the animals (except possibly wildebeests), and they'll giggle with delight when they realize this is a bedtime tale--and immediately begin planning their own imaginative safari. A great vehicle for a storytime using jungle-animal finger puppets. Julie Cummins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152047662
• ISBN-13: 978-0152047665
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #260,369 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Linda Ashman's books have been named to the "best of the year" lists of the New York Times, Parenting Magazine, Child Magazine, New York Public Library, the Bank Street College of Education, the IRA/CBC and more. Her poetry and rhyming picture books have been called "as pithy and clever as Ogden Nash at his best" (Kirkus), and reminiscent of Mary Ann Hoberman, Douglas Florian and Jack Prelutsky.

Linda lives in Colorado with her husband, Jack Hicks, their son Jackson, and their two dogs. Visit www.lindaashman.com for more information.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to add to your collection!, August 1, 2006

By 

Cure EGID (Crystal Lake, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Starry Safari (Hardcover)

My 2 year old can't get enough of this book. We have continually checked this book out of our library...every night he'd ask us to read it. This book has a great story and vivid illustrations. Can't live with out it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my son's favorite books, August 11, 2010

By 

Stefan "Stefan" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Starry Safari (Hardcover)

Starry Safari is simply a gorgeous book for children 2 years and up. My 3 year old absolutely adores it, to the point where we read it together at least once a day, sometimes more. The illustrations are colorful, beautiful and often funny, with the animal from the prior page peeking out in a corner of the next page for your child to discover. There's a little story about a kid who goes on a safari and meets all kinds of animals, and by the end your child will see that it was all imagination and all the safari animals were actually little stuffed animals in the kid's bed, and the "big safari ranger" is daddy tucking the kid in. There's a page where you "listen to the noisy night" and can act out all the animal sounds, and a page where you can roar together at the lion. There's no other book I've read as often with my 3 year old son as this one, and we still look forward to it every day. I can't recommend this book enough - do yourself and your child(ren) a favor and order one!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jeff Mack Rocks!, June 13, 2007

By 

Julia Lennon (Brighton, MA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Starry Safari (Hardcover)

The illustrations in this book are friendly and enchanting. They're filled with a sly bit of humor as well, which I find refreshing. And the kids are enchanted by the wild surroundings. I would love to see what Jeff could do with a children's book if he were the author as well!