Under the Literary Safari imprint, we have published multimedia works for children, families, and educators that reach international audiences. We have also created public awareness campaigns and learning experiences. Here are some highlights from our portfolio.
The Story Seeds Podcast
Our Webby Award-nominated podcast matches kids and their story ideas with the imaginations of diverse, beloved storytellers who grow their “story seeds” into original short stories! Hosted by Besty Bird, our show is a Common Sense Education selection which has been featured by Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Wired, BBC, Book Riot, and Time for Kids.
Visit our website and follow on Spotify or your favorite listening app
Imagination Lab: Experiments in Creativity
Ideal for at home fun, distance learning, or the classroom, this innovative activity book brings the best of a magazine, workbook, and journal together! It is the perfect companion to The Story Seeds Podcast and features over 80 pages of episode inspired prompts and projects. Imagination Lab: Experiments in Creativity is a New York Times/Wirecutter “Best Gifts for 10 Year Olds” pick!
Buy the Activity Book
Podcasting 101
Are you curious about what it takes to start your own podcast? Whether you’re a K-8 teacher, a school librarian podcast newbie who wants to introduce podcasting in your classroom, a homeschooling parent who wants to support your child in starting a podcast, or a public librarian looking to host podcasting workshops for your patrons (young & old), this self-paced online course is for you! You’ll learn the nuts and bolts of podcasting and gain access to presentations from professional podcasters, including Ben Strouse (Gen Z Media), Mick Sullivan (The Past and the Curious), and Polly Hall (Ear Snacks).
Click here to enroll
HangArt
An award-winning literacy game which connects sight word learning, art making, and storytelling. Recognized as one of 20 Best EdTech Tools of 2016 by Common Sense Media and featured in the New York Times “10 Children’s Apps for Summer Road Trips.”
Download from AppStore
Check out HargArt’s guide for grown-ups and educators
Enter the Podverse
What are the ingredients of a great podcast? What does it take to grow the seed of an idea into a podcast? And, how can young people get started making their own podcast? In the Summer of 2021, we designed virtual and in-person programs to introduce kids, grades 3-8, to the wide world of podcasting. Our goal was to equip them with the tools they need to start growing their own shows!
Story Generator Lab
In November 2022, when OpenAI first launched chatGPT, we wondered: Is there a way we can leverage the tremendous power of AI as a tool to help teach writing rather than exploiting? Our brainstorming resulted in an AI-driven tool where writers (young and old!) could input a story idea and watch it grow and evolve based on the "style sheet" of elements that they selected, including public domain works and genres.
We have sunsetted this prototype, but continue to experiment with the positive opportunities for learning that AI can offer. Research clearly shows that writing exemplars are a useful tool for writing instruction.
William H.G. Butler Middle School
A graphic novella created for Instagram. Inspired by news & research, the story examines the Orwellian realities that could face schools in an America without gun reform. "The format of the narrative feels very connected to our techno-cultural moment."–Josh Neufeld, Eisner Award nominated comics journalist.
Download the Story + Discussion Guide
Read on Instagram
Explore the Research
#ArmMeWithBooks List
What is a must-read for young people growing up in these times of lockdown drills and school shootings? 50 award-winning authors share their recommendations. This campaign was featured at School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.
Find the recommended books on Amazon
#ArmMeWithGames List
Leading game designers, researchers, and educators recommend 20 empathy and social-emotional learning games for young people growing up in the shadow of lockdown drills and school shootings.
COVID-19 #PSA Campaigns
At the outset of COVID-19, we created two PSAs to help stop the spread. In the first, Jason Reynolds, the 2020-2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, gives kids eight everyday tips for fighting germs and also shares a recipe for homemade hand sanitizer. The second is a primer narrated by children’s book author Betsy Bird on what it really meant to be “6-feet apart.”
Listen: How to Fight the New Bad Guy in Town by Jason Reynolds
Watch: 6-Feet Apart PSA on YouTube
Grandma’s Great Gourd
Our interactive storybook app brought alive the award-winning picture book Grandma and the Great Gourd by best-selling author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. It was featured in USA Today’s report on children’s apps that highlight diversity. Common Sense Media "Best Book App for Kids" pick and winner of Tech with Kids "Best Pick App" Award.
(This app has aged out of the AppStore and Google Play and is unfortunately no longer available for download.)
Dentist Bird: A West African Folktale
Literary Safari’s first interactive book app based on a Liberian folktale and a picture book retelling of How Plover Bird Came to Clean Crocodile's Teeth by Michael Richards. Explore the sights and sounds of Liberia’s rainforest while helping one clever bird cure a crocodile of his terrible toothache!A Parents' Choice Foundation Recommended App.
(This app has aged out of the AppStore and Google Play and is unfortunately no longer available for download.)