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. 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 featuring 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 rambunctious 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; also available in Big Book edition.
Parker, Nancy Winslow. LOVE FROM UNCLE CLYDE. Uncle Clyde sends his nephew a hippo from Africa,and includes 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.