Welcome, Hippo Lovers!
What would you do if you found a bawling baby hippopotamus on the playground at recess? Join the fun as a teacher entertains his students with this impromptu, whimsical, imaginative, silly tale of classmates on a quest to help a lost baby hippo find his mama. Both of these interactive tales are best read aloud, and are also great independent reading. Educators may find them useful as a writer’s workshop mini-lesson on action verbs, character traits, predictions, and comparing genres.
Warning: Likely to produce extreme giggling.
The Little, Baby, Pink Hippopotamus Wants His Mama is Jen Leeth’s first published book. It is a story invented by her father, Jack Leeth, who shared it with his daughters, their cousins, and their friends. The story was different each time because he wove everyone who was listening that day into the adventure and the action took place in whatever location he was spinning it. The only constant in the tale was helping the little, baby, pink pachyderm find his mama. The best part was testing how long he’d “hip… hip… hip… hip…” until his listeners took mercy upon him and chorused, “-OPOTAMUS!” so that the story could continue.
In order for listeners to experience the hilarity of testing their narrator’s commitment to this tradition, regardless of how many “hip… hip… hips…” are written on the page, readers of both stories are encouraged to please keep “hip… hip… hipping” until their listeners let them off the hook!
Listeners (especially very young, pre-verbal listeners) may want to add to the “-OPOTAMUS” fun in this story by signing along.
To sign the word hippo or hippopotamus in American Sign Language (ASL), extend your index finger and pinkie on both hands and place your palms together one on top of the other. Move your arms up and down to open and close the hippo “mouth”.
The Little, Baby, Pink Hippopotamus in the Queen City is a variation of the first version – in true Jack Leeth spirit – with new characters, setting and illustration style, but the same essential adventure of helping the li’l lost pink guy find his mama. This round of characters includes a few of Jen’s favorite Cincinnatians, some native and others transplants, like herself. Cincinnatians will likely recognize notable local landmarks and may find some unique Cincinnati ‘gems’ sprinkled throughout the images – IYKYK. If Queen City readers should decide to do a “hippo tour” and visit all of the locations in this story’s setting, please DO NOT PLAY IN THE FOUNTAINS! This story is fiction. The characters never really splashed in any fountains, and neither should you!