How often do kids close a book before reading the aftermatter? Kerbel cleverly sidesteps that problem in her two most recent books by including relevant facts on each page. The narrator addresses readers as “you”; the reader’s stand-in is a pale, rosy-cheeked child wearing a big explorer-style hat, kerchief, and khaki shorts. What might “you” want to do on a safari? For sure, bring a camera to photograph the scenery—and the elephant that conveniently appears! The smiling, friendly elephant drinks, bathes, poops, snacks on leaves, and plays with the child at a watering hole. While the pachyderm isn’t overtly anthropomorphized, she and the child appear to have a rapport, and at the end, the child is introduced to the elephant’s family. On every page, smaller type conveys a sentence or two of elephant facts closely connected to the activity in that part of the story. A page of additional information at the end is useful for integrating into the repeat readings that are sure to be requested. Lo’s watercolor-style illustrations realistically but freely depict the blue sky, the tan savanna, and, as the day advances, the reds of sunset. It’s an informative trip worth taking.
