Written by Jonathan London, Illustrated by Matthew Trueman
This is a great nonfiction book about hippos. Amount of text on each page is appropriate for younger readers to maintain attention. The illustrations are colorful, detailed, and fully support the factual text. Pages are numbered to easily locate various aspects of the text. It may be helpful to preview this text before reading it aloud to children. The subject of mating is discussed and on page 23 it mentions how baby hippo “nudges Hippo’s teats for her milk.” The mating is appropriately and discreetly described…you just may want to read through it before reading it aloud to students, so you can decide how you want to answer possible questions that may arise from young, curious readers.
Review by Brooke Deardorff, Teacher, Bennion Elementary
Rating: ★★★★✩ (4 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 1-4
“What’s the deadliest animal in Africa? It’s not the lion or the crocodile—it’s the hippopotamus! Hippos have razor-sharp tusks, weigh as much as fifty men and can run twenty-five miles per hour!”
They may make you laugh, but watch out! Hippos Are Huge is so full of fun facts and wonderful illustrations. Finding out the truth about them makes hippos just that much more interesting. Whether read aloud or independently, this book is sure to be a big hit with young children. This is on my order list for sure!
Review by Renee Larsen, Hillside Elementary Media Center
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)
Interest Level: Preschool-2nd grade
Hippos Are Huge
Written by Jonathan London, Illustrated by Matthew Trueman
Candlewick Press
29 pages
Release Date: March 10, 2015
I think the kids would love this book.