We All Went on Safari: A Counting Journey Through Tanzania

I love this counting book. The illustrations are beautiful and the African children make it different than the plain counting stories. A great way to introduce a little African culture into your child’s world.

This book starts with a story about Masai culture and also an introduction to how to say their numbers. What really fascinated me were the facts in the back. It tells you about Tanzania, the Masai culture, some words in their language and also a little about how they name their children. I love learning about African culture so I absolutely loved this book!

We borrowed this book from the library and enjoyed it so much we bought a copy to keep. My 3 1/2 year old son loved the counting journey and learning to say all the animals and numbers in swahili. What a fun way to learn to count and speak a new language!

An excellent book, which has been written by a very talented author. Krebs has a true gift writing books that are enjoyed by children all over the world. As for Kokodoko's review, I found their opinion of the artwork harsh. I think s/he needs to take another look at the book as ALL the characters wore some type of clothing and were not "running around naked in the wilderness." Perhaps this person has yet to learn that in many cultures men, women and children wear limited clothing based upon tradition, need and climate. Just because they do, should we regard all photographs or illustrations of them as depicting "negative stereotypes?" Should we expect all people to be dressed as Westerners or to follow our codes of modesty? I don't think so.

This exuberant, colorful journey through Tanzania is a treasure trove of visual and auditory pleasures. The musical, rhythmic verse perfectly captures the action of the Maasai counting trip: "We all went on safari/ past an old acacia tree/ Nearby giraffes were grazing/ So Tumpe counted three." The illustrations are awash with the lovely, subtle hues of the Serengeti, and the artist's depiction of the Maasai men, women, and children reveals personality and attitude in a single brushstroke. The effortlessly multicultural story introduces young children to the Swahili words for the numbers 1 to 10, and in an informative glossary, to the Swahili names for the different animals encountered on safari. An effervescent, irrestible read-aloud... enjoy!