Counting Book One: We All Went on Safari

Here is the first on my series of excellent counting books!!! 



We All Went on Safari:  A Counting Journey Through Tanzania
Author:  Laurie Krebs
Illustrator:  Julia Cairns
Barefoot Books (2003)

Here it is---the perfect mix of exploring diversity and learning counting (in both English and Swaihili)!   The pictures are so great, especially the Maasia kids who walk along counting animals like lions and warthogs.  The pictures are gentle and fun--you can almost transport yourself there with them.   The illustration have a sense of movement and whimsy.  The back of the  book includes animals of Tanzania, a translation of the names of the children, a description of the Maasai people, facts about and a map of Tanzania.

I love what Laurie Krebs has to say about herself and  want to check out more of her books like We're Roaming in the Rainforest!  I love that she gets a lot of ideas from her real life stories and her love of travel.  Her husband is a beekeeper so she wrote a story about him.   She also lives in a house from the Colonial times, so she wrote a series about that era.  http://www.lauriekrebs.com/.  

And I also LOVE what Julia Cairns has to say about herself.   We are going to get every book of hers we can:   The Spider Weaver,  Off to the Sweet Shores of Africa,   Mama Panya's Pancakes.  She has had a fascinating life--living in Africa, studying yoga and embracing a whimsical style of painting.  Her art is also on mugs, shower curtains etc.     http://juliacairns.net/books

I think that as parents it's helpful to read aloud books to our children that makes OUR HEARTS sing. Since I love travel so much, books like these really spark my interest and make me feel excited for life.