How Did the Hippopotamus Get There?
by Sohrab Rezvan, Kyana Mitchell (Illustrator)
DETAILS:
Publisher: Flat Mountain Publishing
Publication Date: Jun 29, 2023
Format: PDF
Length: 40 pg.
Read Date: July 31, 2023
What’s How Did the Hippopotamus Get There? About?
Sophia is playing outside on the day before her birthday when an escaped Hippopotamus wanders into her yard. Sophia leaps to the only obvious conclusion (for a child)—it’s a birthday gift that appeared a day early. She falls in love immediately—and her dog seems to like him, too—naming him Fred.
Her parents aren’t so sure about this and spend the rest of the book wondering how the hippopotamus got into their treehouse, kitchen, bathroom, fireplace, etc.
And the fun ensues.
Let’s Talk about the Art for a Minute
Kyana Mitchell’s characters are adorable. I started to list a few particulars and ended up naming the whole cast—Sophia, Fred, Sophia’s parents, and Sparky (the dog)—all of them are adorable and full of personality. The illustrations leap off the page and are lively and bright, the details are funny (especially for the 5 and under crowd). There’s no way that these drawings don’t hold a young person’s attention.
Sure, sometimes the perspective is a little wonky—always intentionally, to make the story work (Fred changes sizes all the time). But if you’re reading this book and worrying about things like that, you’re missing the point.
Here’s a sample from the Publisher’s page (there are others, there, too)—if you click on it, you’ll be taken to a larger version:
How is it to Read Aloud?
This is great fodder for a parent who enjoys doing voices as they read—the parents in particular seem like a blast. The text is full of excited utterances and emotion, if you’re in the right mood, it’s going to be so much fun to read.
If you’re tired, you’re going to want to suggest that the child you read to finds something else, because this is going to take some effort to match the book (if you ask me).
So, what did I think about How Did the Hippopotamus Get There??
If Norman Bridwell taught us nothing else, he taught us that a little girl with an oversized pet interacting with normal-sized things is funny. And more funny if the parents aren’t necessarily on board with that. Rezvan and Mitchell have captured that spirit here.
There are no life lessons to be found, there’s no message, and there’s exactly 1 sweet line (and it really is sweet). The rest of it is just ridiculous fun. Which is the biggest thing I look for in a book like this, so color me satisfied.
Recommended.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the Author via BookSirens in exchange for this post and my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.
This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
