Safari Adventure

Last updated
First UK edition (pub. Jonathan Cape) Willard Price Safari Adventure.jpg
First UK edition (pub. Jonathan Cape)

Safari Adventure is a 1966 children's book by the Canadian-born American author Willard Price featuring his "Adventure" series characters, Hal and Roger Hunt. [1] The book was illustrated by Charles Sur. [2]

Contents

Plot

A gang of poachers led by a man named Blackbeard is killing off the wildlife in Tsavo Game reserve. The game warden, Mark Crosby, is lost about what to do. Hal and Roger help the warden by capturing 47 of the poachers and sending them off to the Mombasa jail to be tried in court, but the warden's friend, Judge Sindar Singh, is giving the criminals little or no punishment. Eventually, it is revealed that Singh is Blackbeard in disguise.

Critical analysis

In 2018, James Kidd of the South China Morning Post wrote that the book "displays a sympathy for animals and conservation that feels ahead of its time." [3]

The book has been noted by several critics and academics for its eurocentric depiction of east Africa typical of children's books of the era. [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Kidd</span> Scottish privateer (1654–1701)

William Kidd also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd, was a Scottish privateer. Conflicting accounts exist regarding his early life, but he was likely born in Dundee and later settled in New York City. By 1690, Kidd had become a highly successful privateer, commissioned to protect English interests in North America and the West Indies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Children's literature</span> Stories, books, magazines, and poems that are primarily written for children

Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader, from picture books for the very young to young adult fiction.

<i>Ulysses</i> (novel) 1922 novel by James Joyce

Ulysses is a modernist novel by Irish writer James Joyce. Parts of it were first serialized in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and the entire work was published in Paris by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, Joyce's fortieth birthday. It is considered one of the most important works of modernist literature and has been called "a demonstration and summation of the entire movement." According to Declan Kiberd, "Before Joyce, no writer of fiction had so foregrounded the process of thinking."

<i>Treasure Island</i> Novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, telling a story of "buccaneers and buried gold". It is considered a coming-of-age story and is noted for its atmosphere, characters, and action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dav Pilkey</span> American cartoonist and author (born 1966)

David Murray "Dav" Pilkey Jr. is an American cartoonist, author, and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known as the author and illustrator of the children's book series, Captain Underpants, and its spin-off children's graphic novel series Dog Man, the latter published under the respective writer and illustrator pen names of George Beard and Harold Hutchins, which are also the names of the two protagonists of the Captain Underpants series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Mahy</span> New Zealand childrens writer (1936-2012)

Margaret Mahy was a New Zealand author of children's and young adult books. Many of her story plots have strong supernatural elements but her writing concentrates on the themes of human relationships and growing up. She wrote more than 100 picture books, 40 novels and 20 collections of short stories. At her death she was one of thirty writers to win the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Medal for her "lasting contribution to children's literature".

<i>Babys Day Out</i> 1994 film by Patrick Read Johnson

Baby's Day Out is a 1994 American adventure comedy film directed by Patrick Read Johnson and written by John Hughes, who also produced the film. Starring Joe Mantegna, Lara Flynn Boyle, Joe Pantoliano, and Brian Haley. The plot centers on a wealthy baby's abduction by three criminals, his subsequent escape and adventure through Chicago while being pursued by the criminals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Ambrus</span> Hungarian-British illustrator (1935–2021)

Victor Ambrus was a Hungarian-born British illustrator of history, folk tales, and animal story books. He also became known from his appearances on the Channel 4 television archaeology series Time Team, on which he visualised how sites under excavation may have once looked. Ambrus was an Associate of the Royal College of Art and a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Society of Painters, Etchers and Engravers. He was also a patron of the Association of Archaeological Illustrators and Surveyors up until its merger with the Institute for Archaeologists in 2011.

<i>Queen Annes Revenge</i> Pirate Blackbeards ship

Queen Anne's Revenge was an early-18th-century ship, most famously used as a flagship by Edward Teach, better known by his nickname Blackbeard. The date and place of the ship's construction are uncertain, and there is no record of its actions prior to 1710 when it was operating as a French privateer under the name La Concorde. Surviving features of the ship's construction strongly suggest it was built by French shipwrights, based on differences in fastening patterns in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. After several years of service by French sailors, she was captured by Blackbeard in 1717. Blackbeard used the ship for less than a year, but captured numerous prizes using her as his flagship.

<i>Gorilla Adventure</i> 1969 childrens book by Willard Price

Gorilla Adventure is a 1969 children's book by the Canadian-born American author Willard Price featuring his "Adventure" series characters, Hal and Roger Hunt. It depicts an expedition to capture a giant mountain gorilla for a circus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yahtzee Croshaw</span> British video game journalist and author (born 1983)

Benjamin Richard "Yahtzee" Croshaw is a British journalist, video game critic, author, humourist, video game developer, and audiobook narrator. He is best known for his video game review series Zero Punctuation, which he produced for The Escapist from 2007 to 2023, and its spiritual successor Fully Ramblomatic, which he releases through Second Wind.

<i>A Far Off Place</i> 1993 film by Mikael Salomon

A Far Off Place is a 1993 American adventure drama film based on Laurens van der Post's works A Far Off Place (1974) and its predecessor, A Story Like the Wind (1972). It stars Reese Witherspoon, Ethan Randall, Jack Thompson and Maximilian Schell. The plot concerns three young teenagers who must cross the Kalahari Desert to safety when their parents are killed by a poacher.

<i>Adam of the Road</i> 1942 childrens novel by Elizabeth Gray Vining

Adam of the Road is a novel by Elizabeth Janet Gray Vining. Vining won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1943 from the book. Set in thirteenth-century England, the book follows the adventures of a young boy, Adam. After losing his spaniel and minstrel father, Adam embarks on a series of escapades throughout medieval England. The book is illustrated by Robert Lawson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James M. Ward</span> American game designer and author (1951–2024)

James Michael Ward was an American game designer and fantasy author who worked for TSR, Inc. for more than 20 years, most notably on the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. He wrote various books relating to Dungeons & Dragons, including guidebooks such as Deities & Demigods, and novels including Pool of Radiance, based on the computer game of the same name.

<i>A General History of the Pyrates</i> 1724 book published in Britain

A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates, or simply A General History of the Pyrates is a 1724 book published in Britain containing biographies of contemporary pirates, which was influential in shaping popular conceptions of pirates. Its author uses the name Captain Charles Johnson, generally considered a pen name for one of London's writer-publishers. The prime source for the biographies of many well-known pirates, the book gives an almost mythical status to the more colourful characters, and it is likely that the author used considerable artistic license in his accounts of pirate conversations. The book also contains the name of Jolly Roger, the pirate flag, and shows the skull and crossbones design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pirates in the arts and popular culture</span> Representations of pirates in fiction or literature

In English-speaking popular culture, the modern pirate stereotype owes its attributes mostly to the imagined tradition of the 18th-century Caribbean pirate sailing off the Spanish Main and to such celebrated 20th-century depictions as Captain Hook and his crew in the theatrical and film versions of J. M. Barrie's children's book Peter Pan, Robert Newton's portrayal of Long John Silver in the 1950 film adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel Treasure Island, and various adaptations of the Middle Eastern pirate, Sinbad the Sailor. In these and countless other books, films, and legends, pirates are portrayed as "swashbucklers" and "plunderers". They are shown on ships, often wearing eyepatches or peg legs, having a parrot perched on their shoulder, speaking in a West Country accent, and saying phrases like "Arr, matey" and "Avast, me hearty". Pirates have retained their image through pirate-themed tourist attractions, film, toys, books and plays.

The Adventure series is a collection of children's adventure novels by Willard Price. The original series, comprising 14 novels, was published between 1949 and 1980, and chronicles the adventures of teenagers Hal and Roger Hunt as they travel the world collecting exotic and dangerous animals. Beginning in 2012, Anthony McGowan published four more novels in the series, which featured Hal and Roger's children.

<i>Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood</i> 1973 British film

Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood is an adventure film directed by John Hough and starring David Warbeck, Ciaran Madden, Kathleen Byron, David Butler and Kenneth Gilbert. The film was the debut movie of actor David Warbeck as Robin Hood. The film was originally a 1969 television series pilot but was released in movie theatres in 1973, as a support feature to the musical Take Me High. The film was also released on VHS under the title The Legend of Young Robin Hood.

This is a list of historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pop culture fiction</span> Genre of fiction

Pop culture fiction is a genre of fiction where stories are written intentionally to be filled with references from other works and media. Stories in this genre are focused solely on using popular culture references.

References

  1. "8-12 New Editions". The School Librarian. 60 (3): 164–165. Autumn 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  2. The Book Buyer's Guide. Baker & Taylor Company. 1966. p. 202. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  3. Kidd, James (12 July 2018). "The best books for summer 2018, however you're holidaying". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  4. Heale, Jay (2004). International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  5. Oldfield, Elizabeth F. (2013). "Creative Dialogue, Signification, Gender, and Space - Talking through Contemporary Children's Stories". Cross / Cultures (161): 179–218. Retrieved 4 February 2024.