Sandra Boynton: A Primer

But Not the Hippopotamus
A reticent hippopotamus stars in this goofy romp through Boyton’s menagerie. Other animals are having a great time: drinking juice together, trying on headgear, cavorting in a bog…but the hippopotamus only looks on with inquisitiveness. Whether dear hippo is feeling left out or not, we are not sure, but when the other animals decide to invite the loner along, she accepts after careful consideration. And everyone is happy! Well, not quite everyone…

Blue Hat, Green Hat
Disguised as an  introduction to colors but actually a manual for dressing oneself, Blue Hat, Green Hat features four animals of varying sizes putting on various articles of clothing. Most of the animals get it right each time, except for the poor turkey who puts a shoe on his head, his feet through the neck hole of a shirt, and somehow hangs a coat off his beak. Eventually the turkey figures things out, just in time to go swimming! See if you can spot the subtle baseball reference that caused me to vandalize our copy of this book.

Hippos Go Berserk!
Here’s another solitary hippo, sitting by the (rotary!) phone. Desiring company, the hippo places a call, and soon a hippo counting party ensues. The hippos accrue, the hippos depart. A totally berserk party that only a house full of hippos could host happens in the middle. For those who ran out of fingers adding the running total of party-goers, fear not! Sandra Boynton subtly mentions the hippo tally before the book ends.

Fifteen Animals
My husband’s family has historically named all their pets Frisky. This includes a lobster, a crawfish (who ate the lobster, or was eaten by the lobster), yard squirrels, the neighbor’s iguana, ants, etc. In Fifteen Animals, a similar theme occurs, only instead of Frisky, all the animals are named Bob. There’s Bob the dog, and Bob the cat, and rabbits Bob, Bob, and their kids Bob, and Bob. Fifteen Animals is also a fun counting book, and, by the time you get to animal number 15, you’ll be giggling at the ridiculousness you might just miss the turtle’s name. But, I promise: it’s not Frisky.

Your Personal Penguin
If this book isn’t actually a love letter to my own imagination, I don’t really understand what else it could be. All my life I have wanted a penguin, and several aquariums have issued stern enough warnings that I dare not risk visiting again. Am I supposed to travel all the way to Antarctica to get one of these guys? Your Personal Penguin suggests there is a penguin out there who wants to be mine as much as I want a penguin. What could be better?

Doggies
If you wake me up in the middle of the night and ask me to recite this book, I probably can, bark for bark. I will also demand that you leave my house immediately. If it seems like I’m including a lot of counting books in this list, it’s true! However, I don’t first think of many of these books as counting books. I mean, there are a certain number of animals in this book, and you do enumerate them, but the point is to do a different voice for each dog and see if you can remember how to do it the same way throughout the book.

Opposites
Not a counting book! Opposites is a straightforward presentation of pairs of opposites with clever illustrations and a satisfying rhyme. Boynton’s animals exude so much feeling and intention. Check out the sheep giving each other the hairy eyeball while one floats into the sky via balloon, and the smug look on the face of the turtle representing “out”.

Boynton’s Greatest Hits Volume 1
Maybe the best way to get acquainted with SB’s wonderful world is to dive right in. It’s well worth your while to pick up Boynton’s Greatest Hits Volumes 1 and 2, which include: Moo, Baa, La La La; A-Z; Blue Hat, Green Hat; Doggies; The Going to Bed Book; Opposites; Horns to Toes and In Between; and But Not the Hippopotamus. The value is indisputable. The entertainment is undeniable. And I happen to know that the empty boxes of these books, when paired together, make excellent shoes for creative toddlers.