Ari on Safari
“It’s just like 'The Lion King',” Isla exclaimed. But, Ari was searching for much bigger game . . .
Hey Everyone!
It’s August 1st and hopefully your summer has been filled with a few memorable get-aways.
Or, like the star of this month’s B-Side story, maybe you’ve had your own WILD adventure . . .
Ari loves dinosaurs. Jurassic World? His favourite film! A toy T-rex? He has twenty! And books - oh, the books - stacked ten piles high all about Raptors and Tyrannosaurus Rex. Ari is a dinosaur expert, so when his family decides to take a trip to South Africa to go on a safari, Ari hopes there are creatures more wild than lions or cheetahs. Ari wants to find a real life dinosaur. But, will his dino-sized dream come true?
One more thing! Before we begin the story, I have some news to share . . .
B-Side Stories will soon be saying “THE END.”
Yes, there are only 3 more stories left coming to your inbox!
(September 1st, October 1st and November 1st, 2023)
After two years of publishing my newsletter, it is time to shift from “B-Side” stories to “A-track” material (a.k.a. my full-length picture books!)
I am so grateful for all the support and I hope to keep you in my “fan” club by continuing to follow my work on social media, and soon on my website (in the works . . . ).
If you are an annual subscriber, subscriptions will be charged until November 1st, 2023 and refunded for any months thereafter (prorated from the subscription start date).
Monthly subscriptions will end as of November 1st, 2023.
Thank you so much to my paid subscribers (and all my readers!) who have helped create space for me to work, write, and spread the joy of reading . . .
Ari on Safari
by caitlin nicole evans
Dedicated to Ari Evans (and your big sister, Isla) – I hope you’re having wonderful adventures in your new home in Costa Rica finding plenty of rainforest frogs, tropical fish, and (fingers-crossed!) a couple of dinosaurs . . .
*Click below to listen to the audio version of this month’s B-Side story:
Ari loved nature and all sorts of creatures.
His pile of textbooks made excellent teachers.
Poisonous plants, and tropical mammals.
Arctic king penguins and hot desert camels.
Facts about lions, tigers, and hippos – oh yes!
But . . .
It was something much larger that Ari loved BEST.
His favourite toys, and movies, and tales.
Were not about elephants, gorillas, or whales.
Much bigger still – than a giraffe, or a rhino.
Yes, Ari could dream all day long of the dino!
Oh, how dinosaurs roared!
How those dinosaurs soared!
They flew, and they swam.
They roamed, and explored.
They ran the whole planet a long time ago.
And Ari loved learning each tidbit to know.
He read about facts, and read all the fiction.
He learned all about their final extinction.
His sister, Isla, would tease, “Do you think they exist?”
But, deep down inside, Ari couldn’t resist.
He liked to believe in some place, in some park.
Where the dinosaurs hid – like bats in the dark!
But, for now, all those dinosaurs lived in his head.
Appearing in dreams, while he slept in his bed.
UNTIL . . .
One day he woke up, and his parent’s both said:
“We are off on our first big adventure now, Ari.”
“We’re headed to Africa, for a WILD safari.”
“We will go to a park, and explore all its nooks.”
“The wildlife there is straight from your books!”
Woohoo, thought Ari – this is my shot.
Perhaps this was the park where the dinos were caught.
Sure, he hoped to see hippos, and lions, and rhinos.
But, he secretly wished to find plenty of DINOS . . .
When Ari’s family arrived, they hired a guide.
And they hopped in his jeep for a long, bumpy ride.
They drove in the dust ‘til the wild appeared.
With wide open plains, where the creatures roamed near.
There were leopards who lay in the hot morning sun.
And packs of hyenas were laughing for fun.
The hippos were swimming, with baring bucked teeth.
They yawned with their jaws stretched as wide as five feet.
Stripes were a blur from a zebra herd running.
They ran from the cheetahs, so quick and so cunning.
Elephants stomped and tromped through the sand.
And something was howling?
A big baboon band!
A wildebeest looked like a very strange beast.
But, to one stalking lion, it looked like a feast.
The family saw ostrich with large spotted eggs.
And grazing gazelles with their long horns and legs.
They soaked in the sight of the striped prairie dogs.
Who sat by the mud, with some stinky warthogs.
“It’s just like The Lion King,” Isla exclaimed.
But, Ari was still searching for some much bigger game . . .
Sure, there were lions with full fuzzy manes.
And long-neck giraffes wandering wide, wild plains.
And his whole family’s camaras were “clicking” and flashing.
When a pack of impalas went darting and dashing.
Running from leopards, with fine-spotted fur.
Yes, the whole wonderous day was a brilliant blur.
What more could you want from a trip on safari?!?
But, it still wasn’t exactly the dream day for Ari.
Poor little Ari.
He yearned to see more.
So, he turned to their guide to see what else was in store.
“Excuse me,” he asked. “Is there ONE dinosaur?”
The guide looked bewildered!
He pat Ari’s head.
“I’m sorry, little buddy, but dinosaurs are . . .
. . . . . dead.”
DEAD!!!!!!
Nooooooooo! Thought Ari. It can NOT be true.
But, before losing hope, he knew just what to do.
You see, Ari was clever.
He could save this vacation.
With the greatest super power . . .
His IMAGINATION!
He had to believe there were some left alive.
That one chorus of ‘saurus had somehow survived . . .
And what did he find when he opened his eyes.
His vision came true!
And what a WILD surprise.
All of the creatures had seemed to transform.
Shifting scales.
Changing shape.
They took on a new form.
One elephant who had been wandering before.
Grew 10 times bigger into grand Brontosaur.
A hawk they had seen soaring high in the sky.
Became a Pterodactyl, its wings soaring by.
The rhino grew extra horns, and shiny grey scales.
With a frill on his back, straight down to his tail.
Now a Triceratops - as big as a whale!
A Brachiosaurus appeared through the trees.
It had once been the giraffe who’d been snacking on leaves.
With the same lengthy neck, and the same taste for green.
This was the COOLEST thing that Ari had seen . . .
Yes, all of the creatures were now DINOSAURS.
And throughout all the land you could hear their great roars.
When the drove to a spot to see what they’d find next.
Ari pointed for Isla - “It’s a real-life T-REX!”
His big sister told him he had to stop lying.
It wasn’t a T-Rex . . . it was only a lion!
So, Ari described it - his body and scales.
The sharp shiny teeth, and his long scaley tail.
His short stubby arms, and claws strong as steel.
And then Isla saw it - they REALLY were real!!!
So, they drove through the park,
filled with large Carnotaurus.
With Raptors, and Troodons, and one Stegosaurus!
It was quite the safari, through their own Jurassic park.
But the guide had to warn them - “It’s about to get dark.”
Ari realized that all the adults must be scared.
Afterall, they had not been fully prepared.
They’d come to see lions.
They’d expected the rhinos.
But, all thanks to Ari, they’d found plenty of dinos!
Feeling sleepy, his imagination drifted.
The dinosaurs shrunk, their big bones all shifted.
And all of the creatures returned, just the same.
Back to animals wandering South African plains.
His family returned to the hotel to sleep.
Having made memories they always would keep.
It was quite the adventure, for Isla and Ari.
Who BOTH could not wait for their next dream safari .
“You were right all along,” his big sister said.
Yes, the dinosaurs LIVED - they were NOT all long dead.
They were roaming the hills of his heart and his head.
In the African fields, and curled up in his bed . . .
THE END
Reading Recommendation: If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur, by Linda Bailey and Colin Jack, is a story for kids just like Ari’s. It’s all about dinosaurs AND the power of our imaginations. For example, do you need a can opener? Nothing like a Raptor’s jaw. Looking for a paper shredder? Dino’s love to eat homework! And if it’s raining outside, a Brontosaurus’ neck and tail can make for a wonderful umbrella. Colin Jack is one of my favourite illustrators, so I know you will enjoy the pictures as well as Bailey’s imaginative tale. Now, if you happen to have a T-Rex, please go help tuck him into bed - his arms are VERY short!
And don’t forget you can always order my full-length picture book, Cosette Goes to the County . . .
And coming soon MY BRAND NEW BOOK, Where Do Stories Come From . . . ?
Pre-orders will begin September 1st. More info coming to your inbox soon!
Happy Reading . . .
