That's What Makes a Hippopotamus Smile - Hardcover

A children's author, storyteller, and teacher with experience teaching creative writing on three continents, Sean Taylor’s books include The Great Snake, Purple Class and the Skelington, Purple Class and the Flying Spider, Purple Class and the Half-Eaten Sweater, The Grizzly Bear with the Frizzly Hair, Crocodiles Are the Best Animals of All, Who Ate Auntie Iris, and We Have Lift-Off. He divides his time between England and Brazil. Laurent Cardon’s background is in film animation and he has worked in Japan, China, and Korea. The illustrator of Wolf Wanted, he lives in Sao Paulo.

PreS-Gr 1—A rhyming tale of the best way to have a great playdate with a hippo. "When a hippopotamus comes round to your house/ don't be worried, or scared by his size./Just hug him and open the door very wide./ Because...[page turn]... that's what makes/ a hippopotamus come inside!" Advice is given on the proper snacks ("Have a great BIG crunchy salad-treat./Because...[page turn]...that's what a hippopotamus loves to eat"), best games, wash-up techniques, and good-byes ("Say goodbye in style./ Because...[page turn]... that's what makes/a hippopotamus smile!"). Taylor's fun-to-read text effectively uses various fonts and sizes for emphasis. Cardon's lively illustrations get facial expressions just right (even the hippo). They are pretty funny in their own right and are a perfect match for the text. Look for the frog that accompanies hippo throughout the story. All the illustrations are spreads with mostly solid backgrounds in various colors, perfect for storytime. Pair this title with Laura Numeroff's If You Give a Moose a Muffin (HarperCollins, 1991) for an "if and then" themed program.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH