Ella and the Sleepover Safari

By Cassy Polimeni

Illustrated by Hykie Breeze

Reviewed by Helen Gearing

The second title in a new junior fiction series by the author of the multi-award winning picture book The Garden at the End of the World, Ella and the Sleepover Safari is a beautifully told, highly-relatable story for emerging readers 6 years and older.

‘There are only two top bunks. I do some quick calculations but no combination seems right.’

When Ella’s aunt suggests a sleepover safari at the zoo for Ella’s ninth birthday, it sounds like the perfect way to celebrate – and collect more animal facts. However, things get difficult when Ella’s two best friends finally meet and quickly become jealous, ‘staring at each other like animals behind glass.’ But when one of the group spots an escaped animal, the trio must decide whether to work together to navigate their new social (and zoological) terrain or risk the animal getting hurt.

Illustrations (and a highly appealing cover design) by Hykie Breeze add plenty of humour and fun to the story, with interactions between the animals foreshadowing the relational dynamics between the friends. Breeze is a master at characterisation, and each figure’s emotional state is easily recognisable, perfect for young children still developing their visual literacy skills.

Ella and the Sleepover Safari digs deep into the difficult business of navigating competing friendships with kindness and tact. Polimeni also keeps the pace moving, and it never feels like the plot suffers for an adult’s didactic agenda. Readers who enjoyed The Wish Sisters by Allison Rushby and Karen Blair or the highly acclaimed Cleo stories by Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood will also adore this sweet, expertly-crafted story.

Teaching Notes

UWA Publishing 2025

Cassy Polimeni

Hykie Breeze