Starry Safari

by Linda Ashman, Jeff Mack (Illustrator)

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!

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Animals, Childrens, Adventure, Juvenile, Poetry

40 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2005

About the author

Linda Ashman is the author of more than 40 picture books and The Nuts and Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books . Her books have been included on the "best of the year" lists of the New York Times, IRA/CBC Children's Choices, the New York Public Library and others, and have been translated into many languages. Linda lives with her family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story for ECE—it’s the rhyming tale of a little boy who goes on safari and encounters lots of different animals who chase him through the wild. When you arrive at the end of the book, you learn that the boy was dreaming and his father tucks him into bed again.
The pictures add so much to this story, and it gives the child amazing opportunity to participate with the book and become the creatures in it.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's an adventurous young girl who explores the wilds of Africa in rollicking rhyming text. Her trip is loaded with action, ambition, danger and bravery. Rich language, ironic humor, and comical animal characters will have kids begging you to "read it again".

[Naira Franco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book can help students learn different types of animals along with the skill of rhyming.

[Ashley Shrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book for the students and they get to make animal noises.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, simple rhymes with plenty of opportunities to make noises and motions along with the animals.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes strict rhyme schemes take us places where we shouldn’t go, limiting or eliminating better choices. This book is a case in point. Oddly distorted illustrations of the safari animals sort of make sense at the end, as does the child’s racing through their habitat, beeping maniacally, bumping into the creatures, and bathing with hippos and crocodiles in a mud pit. I, for one, would prefer not to explain why the rhyme scheme unmoors the child’s fantasy from reality. Why not just write a book about how these animals and their habitat should be treated?

[Lillian Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much imagination!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book with safari animals and imagination. Good combo.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagination takes a little girl on a big adventure.

Goes well with music on YouTube.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ashman Burns #4
Average absurdist yarn which youngsters may find humorous, otherwise pretty forgettable.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wishing for more from this...

[Jenn Swanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an adorable story about a girl that goes on an imaginary safari with her toys. My daughter enjoyed the story and the pictures were interesting.

[Quiana Coston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grade level: pre-k-2nd

Awards: none

Summary: Story of a little girl who is off on an adventurous safari. She encounters many animals like a rhino, crocodile, and a roaring lion. These animals do not scare this little girl as she courageously roars back at the lion. However as you get to the last page and see the many sounds the girls hears in the dark of the night young readers can see if she will be frightened.

Review: My favorite bedtime story to read to my son. I think I love this book more than him. This rhyming book is so cute and fun to read. The little girl in his bed when the ranger comes in is my favorite part.

Possible uses: lesson with phonemic awareness and nonsense words. lesson about the rain-forest

[Julia Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This brightly illustrated book details a child's fantasy safari through the wilds. It is full of a wide variety of creatures of the jungle and savannah, presented in a kid-friendly, fantasy way. Though the creatures don't talk, their behavior doesn't reflect reality, and in the end, it's revvealed the adventure was a child's game.

The text is simple, repetitive, and large. The font is clear and easy to follow. The child is racially ambiguous, which makes this book even more inviting for use in a multicultural setting. I could see using this with pre-schoolers to first graders. The story itself is unimpressive, but told in a format clearly meant for emergent readers.

[Evamarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter loved this book too but it isn't hard she is an animal lover and this book is filled with animals. The book was easy to read with all the rhyming. It is a book I would love to add to my growing collection.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars just because Chance LOVES this book sooo much that if you even mention the title he runs to his bookcase, finds it, presents it to me to read right then. Unfortunately he LOVES it soooo much that we read it 5 times over at bedtime!!!

Great rhyming and opportunities to make noises.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute picture book about where a little one's imagination takes her on a safari at bedtime. It has a good rhythm when read out loud and plenty of onomatopoeias like roar and yikes. The pictures are big and easy to follow. Little ones should enjoy this story.

[Lady Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

F (24 months) really liked this book. Rhyming story with just a sentence or two on the page. I wasn't completely enamored with the illustrations though. I thought that their distortions sometimes made it difficult for F to understand the picture.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.It's short, easy to read, but packed with fun and a cute ending! Recommend for all Prechool and Elementary ages.

[Danette · Rating 4 out of 5]

5/1/17 Read with Naomi i& Julia.
7/25/17 Read with Naomi & Julia.
8/10/17 Read with Naomi & Julia. The ending gets them every time.
9/19/17 Naomi read to Julia & Me.
3/31/19 Read with Julia
9/27/25 Read with Charlotte

[Kristie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rhyming text with many animal sounds. Swervy text along with many repeated words.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just plain cute!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

She even made animal noises rhyme!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my very favorite read alouds, it has several early literacy skills to highlight.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Linda Ashman is very fun to read for both me and my boys. This particular book is our favorite but all of her stories are fun and/or sweet. I reccomend them!

[Makenzie Bingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book to use for identifying animals......the kids loved it.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of action and adventure, this book would be great for kids starting age 1 and up!

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

An imaginative romp through a safari wilderness with all kinds of wild animals who are big and sometimes scary. But the ending puts all into perspective, so it's not too scary for the little ones.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the story and the pictures are great. My kids love the ending.

[jenna Hudrlik · Rating 1 out of 5]

i read this to the story time group - i didnt like it b/c it didnt flow well when you read it