Hello, Hippo! Goodbye, Bird!

by Kristyn Crow, Poly Bernatene (Illustrator)

Overview

A hilarious picture book about a grumpy hippo, a persistent bird, and a delightful friendship!
 
Bird wants to be Hippo’s friend!
Hippo wants to be left alone.
 
Bird makes a great hat for Hippo. He tells hilarious hippo jokes. He keeps the bugs away (can you say lunch!?).
Hippo wants Bird to GO AWAY.
 
But then the sky gets darker. And darker.
Thunder crashes all around.
Maybe Hippo could use a friend?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780553509922
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	04/12/2016
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	AD (what's this?)
File size:	58 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Kristyn Crow's first book, Cool Daddy Rat, received starred reviews and was named a Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book. She is also the author of Zombelina and Bedtime at the Swamp. Kristyn is the mother of seven wonderfully creative children and is married to a policeman, who doubles as a mad scientist/inventor. Visit Kristyn at KristynCrow.com.
 
Poly Bernatene graduated from Buenos Aires Art School and has worked across many different genres, including advertising, animation, and comic books. He has illustrated more than 60 children's books all over the world, including Ribbit!, written by Rodrigo Folgueira. He lives and works in Argentina. Visit him on the Web at Poly-Bernatene.blogspot.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Crow’s warmhearted buddy tale is generously infused with energetic humor, and Bernatene depicts both Hippo and Bird with a perfect balance of gruff and goofy, reluctance and excitement. Against the backdrop of a teeming African landscape, and while flamingos, zebras, a rhino, elephant, antelope, and giraffe look on, author and artist show how frenemies become BFFs. What’s not to love about that?" —Booklist

"This humorous tale of two unlikely companions is an entertaining discussion starter for children about how (and how not) to make friends." —School Library Journal

"Scenes of Hippo submerged underwater, frolicking idyllically in the grass, and wailing in terror in the storm steal the show. Though unlikely-friendship tales are a dime a dozen, this humorous, fun-filled take is well worth a look." —Kirkus

From the Publisher

02/01/2016
PreS-Gr 1—Hippo is annoyed by a bird that will not leave him alone, but an encounter with some bees and a frightening thunderstorm show Hippo that Bird may be just the friend he needs. Alternating perspectives give the pencil and digitally colored illustrations action and movement. The view is high on the page with Bird and then moves closer to the ground with Hippo. Small vignettes, sometimes several on a page, show time passing. A full-bleed spread depicts the dramatic turning point for Hippo. The endpapers, with Hippo's footprints surrounded on all sides by bird marks, foreshadow both Hippo's anxiety at Bird's pushiness and the ultimate conclusion that they are better off together. VERDICT This humorous tale of two unlikely companions is an entertaining discussion starter for children about how (and how not) to make friends.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

School Library Journal

2016-02-02
A solitary hippo tries to escape a pesky bird until it realizes having a pal may not be such a bad thing. When loquacious, harassing Bird lands on Hippo's head with a cheery, "Hello, Hippo," Hippo rebuffs it with an abrupt, "Go away." Bird, blue and storklike, actively suggests Hippo needs a bird to perch on its head like a hat, to settle on its snout like a "hippopota-mustache," to entertain it with silly jokes, and to protect it from spouting water with umbrellalike wings. Hippo eventually gets rid of Bird and revels in the freedom until the inadvertent disturbance of a wasps' nest results in an attack, and Bird comes to the rescue by eating the insects. Incredibly, the still-ungrateful Hippo dismisses Bird, but when a thunderstorm brings pelting rain, Hippo suddenly misses Bird—and readers will agree with Bird's assertion that it's not just because Bird makes a handy umbrella. The contrasting forms of rotund Hippo, with expressive eyes and gaping mouth, and spindly Bird, with flamboyant blue feathers and nosy beak, dominate the colorfully boisterous mixed-media illustrations. Rousing frames focus on Bird's cavorting on indignant Hippo's head, their dialogue (the only text beyond sound effects) incorporated into the illustrations. Scenes of Hippo submerged underwater, frolicking idyllically in the grass, and wailing in terror in the storm steal the show. Though unlikely-friendship tales are a dime a dozen, this humorous, fun-filled take is well worth a look. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews