The New Hippos - Hardcover

Lena Landström, together with her husband, Olof, has created the Will series, as well as the much loved Boo and Baa books. She is also the author and illustrator of The Little Hippos’ Adventure, of which Booklist said, “The story perfectly captures a delicate balance of opposites.” She lives in Sweden.

PreSchool-Grade 2-The arrival of a new hippo and her baby has disturbed the equilibrium of the riverbank and worked the longtime residents into a tizzy. The delightful threesome introduced in The Little Hippos' Adventure (R & S, 2002) consider the new youngster too little to use their diving board until he sneaks out and shows what he can do. Soon all of the little hippos are happily doing Olympic-caliber dives and flips. Mama hippo constructs a hut in a style different from the dwellings of her neighbors who eventually decide they like her design (and her). When the newcomers disappear one day, the little hippos bravely mount a search party to look for them, past menacing crocodiles and into the Dark Cave, with no luck. When the missing animals arrive back at the riverbank with jungle fruit for all, they promise to tell the others the next time they go off on their own. It is a sure sign that they are now part of the group. Landstram's pen-and-ink and watercolor pictures done in a shadowy palette of greens and browns effectively capture the emotions and charm of these creatures. A perfect addition for storytimes about moving or fitting in.
Bina Williams, Bridgeport Public Library, CT
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