Book Review: "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas"

   Today my daughter shared her library book with me.  She picked up "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" by John Rox, and illustrated by Bruce Whatley.  She explained to me that the story is really a song, and she sang the words to me as she read me the story!  As a bonus, the music is printed in the back of the book for those who can read music.

   The cover is brightly illustrated, with a little girl in pink footed pajamas hugging her newly unwrapped present, a giant hippo!  The book really captures the magic of Christmas.  I love the facial expressions on the little girl singing the song -- it expresses that sheer innocence at the holidays that only a child can truly have in their heart.

   She writes her letter to Santa, and shows it to Mom and Dad, who smile.  She builds a hippo out of cardboard boxes in her room!  The drawings of the hippopotamus are equally enjoyable.  The hippo couldn't be happier with his new mistress, who brings him a heaping platter of veggies to munch on in her dreams.

   The back cover of the book gives some background on the song's writer, John Rox, who created it in 1950, and how it was sung in 1953 by a little girl in Oklahoma to raise money for the local zoo to purchase a hippo.  That December, Matilda the hippopotamus came to the zoo . . . just in time for Christmas!

   It was such a funny song, and I would love to videotape my daughter singing this -- she had so much fun with it!  She is at just the right age to be old enough to read it on her own and to be able to sing it as she goes, but young enough yet to still believe in giggles and daydreams.

   Merry Christmas, everyone!