I had mixed feelings while reading this book. One reason I liked this book was because of the illustrations. One of the pages had a map on it to help enhance the story. The illustrations helped my understand the story better as a reader. There was one page about wildebeests and all the different types. The page had them all drawn and labeled to show the differences, but how they were also the same. Another thing I liked about this story was the plot. Instead of just giving information about Africa, the story was about being on a safari and what it would be like to drive through it. One reason I didn't like this book was because of the way it talked about animals surviving on the food change. The writing is intense and didn't seem to fit into the rest of the story. The main idea of this story is to inform people about the animals that live in Africa and to give them some history about East Africa and describe the life of the people who live there now. ( )

Cobb's descriptions of the land, animals, and people of Eastern Africa, though somewhat romanticized, emphasize the interdependence of living things with one another and their environment. Animals are the primary focus, and the text covers the usual lions, elephants, giraffes, and zebras but also describes other birds and mammals that inhabit wildlife parks. Uninspiring illustrations include enough detail to distinguish among the different species described. Ind. (Imagine Living Here series). Category: Nonfiction. 1998, Walker, 33pp. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.