The Truth about Hippos by Maxwell Eaton, III (review)

Fans of the author/illustrator’s Flying Beaver Brothers can welcome this new series—nonfiction books that offer intros to favorite animals while retaining Eaton’s visual and narrative humor. In Hippos he looks at common and pygmy hippos, comparing differences of weight (“can weigh as much as four cows”; “the size of a small dog”) and food, and noting similarities such as huge mouths, tail-splattering defecation, inability to swim, and aggressive reaction to disturbances. The chunky, thickly outlined protagonists remark on Eaton’s commentary in speech bubbles, and a couple of running gags about a lost hippo calf and a bicycling hippo keep the lessons light. A handful of books for younger and older readers is listed in end matter (including London’s strong companion title Hippos Are Huge, BCCB 5/15), as well as a cartoon map of Africa with hippo range noted. Although this will work as a readaloud, the oversized text and streamlined vocabulary will bring emergent readers onboard, and they’ll be happy to learn that titles on bears and dolphins are in the pipeline.