Hic!copotamus
Illustrator: 
Atanu Roy
age group: 
3+ yrs
Number of pages: 
24
Publisher: 
Katha
Themes:
hippopotamus hiccups
Genre:
picture book, animal fantasy
 

 

A humorous tale of an humungous hippopotamus with hiccups, that is sure to have kids hiccupping away with laughter.
Hawasi, the hippo, hails from Africa and has horrendous hiccups. One extra huge one hurtles him headlong into the Lily Pond of the Gulmohar Jungle of India.

What a to-do there was!
All the perplexed animals are flummoxed..
What is that creature?
Where is he from?
How did he come hurtling through the sky?
And how was one to help him overcome the affliction? Or, should they?

Illustrated in a quasi graphic novel style, with windows of vibrant images, each with its own blurp lends excitement to this over-the-top whacky story.
The end pages give some interesting tidbits of information on this big, beautiful lumbering beast.

 

NOTE: For parents and teachers

This book can be used to discuss with children:

Problem Solving: Encourage children to think of solutions by asking them "what would they do solve the hippo’s problem? "

Acceptance of a Pluralistic Society: Discuss with the child what makes someone similar to them and different. This is the importance step in teaching compassion and accepting others even though they maybe different from us in one or more ways. If children find things that are common then acceptance comes more easily. The animals of the Gulmohar Jungle who had never seen a hippo before, accepted him for what he was and went out of the way to help him. DIscuss with the child the importance of understanding and accepting of differences - be it in facial features, colour, size and disabilities. 


 

Reviewed by Shamim Padamsee