But Not the Hippopotamus

Typical Sandra Boynton! She is just amazing, and it comes across in her books! This book is wonderful for toddlers, they laugh while learning! Highly recommend! :)

We like to read this book quite a bit. I've got it memorized (but that's not all that hard). The illustrations are the fat, sweet frogs, hippos, cats, etc. you know from Boynton's other books. This storyline encourages kids to join in and have fun rather than sitting out and feeling sad about it. I don't feel like it encourages this at the risk of damaging sensitive quiet types. Rather, I think it helps kids who look on and wish they could join in but just don't. The rhyme is great and easy on your sanity. The kids like the pictures (moose and goose at a restaurant?). The book's fun, interesting, readable (even repeatedly), and carries a good message for kids.

Sandra Boynton has created a lot of lovable animals in her books. It is usually the Turkey who gets things wrong or is left out. In this book there are no turkeys."A cat and two rats are buying new hats. But not the hippopotamus."That sets the feel for this story of the lonely hippo who seems to be left out of all of the fun. But not all is as dark as it seems and there is even a very funny twist at the end.I have shown this book to a lot of adults and they all have enjoyed it and found it funny. A good book about not seeming to fit in.Hint: Like with many Boynton books, read the dedication at the front, it's funny.

This is probably my favorite baby-age book of all time. Like the other Boynton books, it is easy to handle (the board pages are quite tough), very brightly illustrated with the most delightful drawings (imagine a hippopotamus hiding behind a tree!), and features a simple but wonderful story.It seems that all the animals have wonderful things to do, and they scamper off to do them on every page...But Not the Hippopotamus!!! (a phrase repeated at the end of each page, to young children's delight). But then, something wonderful happens. The happy hippo is invited to join the others! And off he runs, full of joy.But Not the Armadillo! And the very last page, the most nonsensical nonsequitor of all, is a lonely looking armadillo standing all alone. And hence the "amhoho." When my daughter was just over a year old, she began to talk about the "amhoho." When given her first push-toy, a brightly colored bumble bee, she squealed, "It's the amhoho!"I don't know how long it took us to figure out that the "amhoho" was the armadillo on the last page of this book. My suggestion is: put a little amhoho into your lives with this fabulous book, the best of everything Boynton has done.

The best board book I have ever seen. Plot twists and a surprise ending fit into 14 pages!It is a story of triumph and glee- not about being left out. Great pictures and even better rhymes. If my son could have only one board book this would be the one.

This is one of my favorite books to read to my son now 11 months. The ryming flow of the story gives this book it's good rythm. The author does a good job of keeping the story simple with a nice ryming flow that is not over done. It holds the adults attention as well as the childs. There are just enough words per page as my son looks at the pictures and turns the pages while I am reading to him. I have the board book and highly recommend this type of book. It encouranges interaction from the child allowing them to turn the pages and look at the pictures without tearing the pages. I have found that my son is quite interested most of Boynton's books. I have read to him from a very early age and he will often pick up her books and page through them and bring them over to me to read them to him. Boynton's books were recommended to me at a hospital sponsored child education class and I highly recommend them to you. They make great gifts.