The Blushful Hippopotamus - Hardcover

Raschka, Chris

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0531095320 ISBN 13: 9780531095324

Publisher: Scholastic, 1996

Synopsis

Though Roosevelt the hippopotamus' sister teases him because he blushes a lot, his best friend helps him feel better about himself

About this title

About the Author:

Chris Raschka is the Caldecott Award-winning illustrator of A BALL FOR DAISY and THE HELLO, GOODBYE WINDOW. He is also the illustrator of YO! YES? (which won a Caldecott Honor), SOURPUSS AND SWEETIE PIE, CHARLIE PARKER PLAYED BE BOP, and FARMY FARM. He lives with his wife and son in New York City.

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-K?Young Roosevelt Hippopotamus has two problems. The first is an embarrassing tendency to blush, and the second is a loud-mouthed older sister who never misses a chance to point out his rosy cheeks. Luckily, Roosevelt has a best friend named Lombard, a rather silly looking bird who reassures him that he is not blushful; he is "hopeful," "mindful," "thoughtful," and "skillful." This simple story will comfort any child who's ever been teased unmercifully and delight those who demand poetic justice for taunting siblings. Raschka's art carries much of the message here. His facility with line creates an overbearing older sister on one page and a diminutive, hesitant Roosevelt opposite. Rough streaks and blotches of bright color add a lively texture to the figures while the background blushes from bright yellow behind the sister, to pink in back of Roosevelt. This color scheme indicates the power structure and reinforces the theme. Size and space also tell a story. On the first page Roosevelt's sister overwhelms the background and bursts off the left-hand page; as Roosevelt gains confidence, the roles of the two siblings are reversed and so are the color scheme and size of the characters. On the last page, Raschka makes minimal use of lines to show the two friends in a sunny embrace that, from a distance, resembles smiling faces. This warm finale should satisfy young children without preaching about the power of friendship.?Barbara Kiefer, Teachers College, Columbia University, NY
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0531095320
• ISBN 13: 9780531095324
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32