(2) K-3 Translated by Lawrence Schimel. A typical day on the savanna inspires Kibo, a rhinoceros, to write a book. "He wrote about the red sky of the savanna, the silhouettes of the birds, the buzz of the bugs." Naki the crane reads over Kibo's shoulder and is so moved that she sews up his pages between yellow covers and then flies the bound copy over the sea and drops it in a faraway city. The book then travels from a lion to a rabbit to a hen, ultimately winding up with Nanuk, a North Pole polar bear. ­Johnson's folk-art style, in warm shades of blue, yellow, and orange, gives the illustrations a retro vibe that suits the DIY ethos of Kibo's creation and the way it moves through the world. The flora and fauna that surround Kibo when he's writing recur whenever his story finds a new reader, giving a visual sense of how books allow thoughts and ideas to travel from one mind to another. Satisfying in itself, this book will also find a happy home in classrooms and serve as a springboard for young bookmakers' creative endeavors.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) K-3 Translated by David Henry Wilson. Illustrated by Johanna Ries. "Three snow-white birds," Ade, Emem, and Nuru, sit atop an elephant. "There were never any quarrels on the elephant's back"--until one day a bright speckled feather floats across the savanna. It is plucked out of the air by Ade, who tucks the feather into his own plumage and proclaims, "I'm the most beautiful bird in the whole savanna!" Of course, arguments, intrigue, and treachery ensue. Emem and Nuru plot to join forces to get the feather, though Emem secretly wants it all to himself. The three birds become so loud and annoying that the elephant finally roars, "ENOUGH!" and dumps the freeloading birds off his back. Real excitement follows as a shadow lurks in the grass, yellow eyes glowing as it stalks the birds. Suddenly, the wild dog attacks, only to be thumped by "a large, gray, powerful something" and sent on its way. The birds are saved, and a friendship is restored. This theme of bickering companions who discover the value and need of friendship is common in fables, but it is given a fresh and inventive spin here, with plenty of lively dialogue perfect for classroom readers' theater performances and gorgeous amber-hued illustrations that play beautifully with perspective and exude the heat and feel of an African savanna. A well-paced and visually attractive picture-book debut.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(2) PS Illustrated by Karen Patkau. In this story set on the savanna (an author's note refers to South Africa), young Tetenya and his mother have been caring for an orphaned baby rhino. They have had no success finding a herd for baby Faru to join, so Tetenya sets out with Faru to look further. The story follows classic-picture-book structure for a while, with a refrain as they come across different types of animals, "but no rhinos." Sound effects add to the atmosphere, as the pair encounters, for example, "giraffes gliding through the long grass...SWISH SWISH SWISH" and "a family of guinea fowl scrounging for seeds...SCRITCH SCRITCH SCRITCH." The details give a strong sense of place, as child and rhino eat bright pink water berries for lunch and fall asleep under a Jackalberry tree--but the calm and playful interlude is suddenly interrupted by machete-wielding poachers. Tetenya thinks quickly to figure out a way of using the berries to save Faru, and the story comes to a satisfying conclusion. Patkau's digital illustrations use shadows, reflections, and bright colors against the greens and browns of the savanna to make the figures pop. The presence of an armed ranger guarding the rhinos underscores the reality of protecting creatures from poachers, as described in an appended note. But it is the warm relationship between Tetenya and Faru, and the young boy's bravery, that children will most likely remember.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi. On the African plains, a small bird is ready for some well-deserved rest in her new nest, but "Oh!" A large hoopoe has taken over. "You can build another." She grudgingly does so on a different branch, and "Hey!" A fennec fox moves in... And so on. Sterer's to-the-point speech-bubble text is brought to life in the richly colored illustrations with nimble, energetic lines that adeptly convey the characters' reactions.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(4) K-3 "There once was a king who liked to tell lies. / He said it was day beneath the night skies." The rise and fall of a prevaricating warthog king is illustrated with undistinguished savanna-set, animal-filled art. The story's rhymes are Seussian not in cleverness but in sentiment: they favorably recall the good doctor's championing of the power of the collective voice.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Bravelands series. The Code of the wild is broken after the murder of the elephant leader known as Great Mother. In this second book (Broken Pride), lion cub Fearless, baboon Thorn, and elephant Sky return--each of the unlikely allies on a separate quest to protect the balance of the Bravelands. Hunter continues another formulaic series full of adventure and discovery.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(3) 4-6 Brought back from the edge of extinction in the twentieth century, white rhinoceroses are once again being hunted, now for their horns. Markle details conservation efforts with a sense of optimism, despite the current grim situation. The text, which also includes information about rhinos' anatomy, habitat, and behavior, is brought to life with many large, clear photos. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Janet Dawson

(4) K-3 I Like to Read series. Min's fellow-elephant friends are too hot to play. Min finds a creative solution to cool everyone off by engineering a machine to move water from a well to an empty pool. (Bafflingly, she doesn't use her trunk; and the presence of both a well and an empty pool in the savanna is unexplained.) Cheerful pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations show the clever elephant's design process.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) PS Illustrated by Jarvis. Insisting "I'm in charge!", a defiant, naughty rhino learns about the importance of kindness in this rhyming Aesop-like parable. When a herd of wildebeests teach Rhino what it's like to be on the receiving end of someone else's thoughtlessness, the message to be considerate toward others is hammered home. Jarvis's candy-colored digital illustrations have an energy equal to Rhino's mischief.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) 4-6 Bravelands series. The author of the perennially popular Warriors books opens a new series starring three young animals on the African plains: lion cub Fearless, baboon Thorn, and elephant Sky. Ignoring the laws of the Bravelands, these animal become unlikely allies, each demonstrating cleverness and bravery in an action-packed story that follows Hunter's conventional animal-fantasy formula to a T.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(2) PS In this light tale set in the unspecified "African veld," Lala is supposed to go to bed but is having none of it. "I just want to say good night to the goat..." and so on. That's the extent of this book's preschooler-perfect conflict, and the text could not be simpler, giving to Isadora's oil-paint and ink illustrations all the drama of sunset on the African plains.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Fabricio VandenBroeck. When all the usual places are dry during a long drought, elephant Little Calf's grandmother remembers a watering hole from a long-ago drought and leads the herd to water. Based on a real incident in Tanzania's Tarangire National Park (per the informative note), this suspenseful story highlights elephant intelligence and resourcefulness. VandenBroeck's paintings evoke textures of the arid savannah. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jill Dubin. In an "Over in the Meadow" pattern, rhymed stanzas introduce African savanna animals, from one zebra to ten jackals. Enhanced by cut-paper-collage illustrations, the text features less-familiar vocabulary (graze, shrill, cunning); endnotes add to and clarify some misleading information (e.g., elephants don't have triplets). Tips for teachers, art correlations, and musical score appended. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) K-3 Photographs by Gerry Ellis. Natumi, a baby African elephant, is brought to a wildlife orphanage with seven other parentless pachyderms and eventually grows into a confident leader for her new family. This story of successful wildlife reintroduction is enhanced by Ellis's dynamic (but unlabeled) photographs of the elephants. Back matter includes additional information about elephants and conservation efforts and a detailed habitat map. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) 4-6 Dramatic color photographs enhance this poignant, engaging account of the Liuwa Plain National Park and its tumultuous history. After exploring the Zambian preserve's ecosystem and rapid decline, the text follows Lady, Liuwa's last lion, whose plight spurred a massive conservation movement. Discussion of the park's slow restoration, through stewardship and species reintroduction, highlights the intricate balance of nature while avoiding hyperbole. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) K-3 National Geographic Readers series. This level-one reader features brief chapters, an accessible text, and lots of colorful, captioned photos. In addition to introducing nonfiction-book conventions, this title offers clear information about giraffes' habitat, physical adaptations, diet, and behaviors. Word definition boxes and a few jokes are interspersed throughout. A quiz and a photo glossary complete the presentation.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) K-3 1, 2, 3...Count with Me series. This continuing series investigates counting using different themes (farm animals, transportation, etc.). Four explore skip counting (Chicks, Snowflakes, Down the Field, Safari); Bug contains addition problems. The two to four simple sentences per page will encourage independent reading. The use of stock images Photoshopped on different backgrounds can be visually jarring. Review covers the following 1, 2, 3...Count with Me titles: Across the Country 18, 19, 20, Chicks 2, 4, 6, Down the Field 10, 20, 30, On a Safari 5, 10, 15, 100 Snowflakes, and One More Bug.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Shennen Bersani. Simple text mimicking oral tradition highlights the importance of elephants as a keystone species in the savanna ecosystem, providing food, water, and shelter for other animals as a byproduct of their daily activities. Though the book's flow is slightly uneven, the illustrations bring the setting to life with subtly varying textures. Back matter includes additional information about savannas and elephants.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) K-3 Zoom In on Savanna Animals series. These books are serviceable introductions to some savanna-dwelling animals. Superficial facts about appearance, habitat, food, and life cycle are briefly explained in simple new-reader text and illustrated with clear stock photos. Some of the choices for the back-matter comparisons of height, weight, speed, or length are odd (e.g., at four feet, "a cheetah is longer than an acoustic guitar"). Glos., ind. Review covers the following Zoom In on Savanna Animals titles: Cheetahs, Elephants, Giraffes, Lions, Tigers, and Zebras.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(4) K-3 Zoom In on Savanna Animals series. These books are serviceable introductions to some savanna-dwelling animals. Superficial facts about appearance, habitat, food, and life cycle are briefly explained in simple new-reader text and illustrated with clear stock photos. Some of the choices for the back-matter comparisons of height, weight, speed, or length are odd (e.g., at four feet, "a cheetah is longer than an acoustic guitar"). Glos., ind. Review covers the following Zoom In on Savanna Animals titles: Cheetahs, Elephants, Giraffes, Lions, Tigers, and Zebras.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan