The popularity of George and Martha, the series of books by James Marshall concerning two hippos who are best friends, can inspire a "hippo"-themed storytime. Marshall's characters are also seen on a cable TV animated series. You can conclude the storytime with a variety of crafts, from paperbag hippo puppets, to a homemade musical instrument, like a paperplate music shaker, inspired by Robert Kraus's Musical Max.

Boynton, Sandra. HIPPOS GO BERSERK!
   A counting book about a hippo birthday party. Look for other Boynton books with hippos.

Brown, Marcia. HOW, HIPPO!
   Little Hippo is separated from his mother for the first time and meets a scary crocodile.

Hadithi, Mwenye. HOT HIPPO.
  A pourqoui tale explaining why hippos live in water.

Johnson, Doug. NEVER BABYSIT THE HIPPOPOTAMUSES!
  A human girl babysits the rambuntious hippos that live next door.

Kraus, Robert. MUSICAL MAX.
  Max loves to play a variety of musical instruments, but the neighbors complain about the noise.

Marshall, James. GEORGE AND MARTHA.
  Two hippos star in this series of books, each with a few short chapters about their experiences as best friends.

Martin, Bill. THE HAPPY HIPPOPOTAMI.
  The hippos enjoy a summer day at the beach; available in Big Book edition.

Parker, Nancy Winslow. LOVE FROM UNCLE CLYDE.
  Uncle Clyde sends his nephew a hippo from Africa, including instructions on how to care for his new pet.

Raschka, Chris. THE BLUSHFUL HIPPOPOTAMUS.
  Roosevelt the hippo is teased because he blushes a lot.

Thaler, Mike. WHAT CAN A HIPPOPOTAMUS BE?
  What would be a good occupation for a hippo - cowboy, ballerina?

Ziefert, Harriet. HARRY GETS READY FOR SCHOOL.
  Part of a series starring Harry the Hippo. In this book, he gets ready for the first day of school.

August, 2001