Title: Savanna’s Treasure
Author: C. Behrens
Illustrator: Kim Johnson
Publisher: Jera Publishing
ISBN: 13-9780692295199
Pages: 132
Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Early Reader
Double Award Winner with great reviews! Children and adults from coast to coast are having their hearts and minds captured by Shamba and Kali – two very different animals whose unlikely friendship can fight the dangers of the world around them. The narrative is a testament to the power of family, kin and passionate perseverance. Despite losing his family, his home, and his best friend, Shamba, an African field mouse, refuses to give up. His courage, determination, and wit help him forge an unlikely friendship with Kali, a baby elephant who also loses her family. Separately, they would surely die. But together, Shamba and Kali brave poachers, out-of-control fires, and savage dogs in one of the wildest places on earth: Africa’s Serengeti region. And just when their struggles appear to be over, they find themselves fighting pirates aboard a ship bound for America. Can they survive their toughest battle yet? Or will their incredible journey come to a heartbreaking end? The lessons and morals of my story directly translate to both the human and animal worlds, explains Behrens. Shamba and Kali’s union not only teaches children valuable lessons about embracing even the most unlikely of friendships, but it highlights a wealth of bold issues impacting animals and endangered species. It’s all brought to life through stunning illustrations by Kim Johnson. Savanna’s Treasure was favorably reviewed in Kirkus Reviews, which called it a “story enriched by an inspiring animal alliance…a good fit for early readers.”
About the Author
Chris Behrens received his bachelor’s degree from Dominican College, in New York, while working full-time and raising his two daughters. While at college, he wrote two Top 100 stories for the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Contests, in 2010 and 2011. He has had two watercolor paintings and an article feature in NJSCBWI’s Sprouts’ magazines and had a poem published in “Sunflowers and Seashells.” Chris works as the recycling coordinator for a town in Northern Jersey. He is working on two new novels. He also loves to read and write, spend time with his daughters and coach high school basketball.
