Five more stories explore the vicissitudes of an excellent friendship between two strong-minded hippopotamuses who often Crud themselves at odds but always summon the tact to avoid hurting each other's feelings--and also indulge in enough tit-for-tat to let each other know how they feel, and to keep the laughs coming. When George gives Martha a noisy clock, she manages to lend it back to him without detracting an iota from its worth; honest critics, they are also outspoken about each other's paintings; and when George finally does the unforgivable (squirts her with a hose), she forgives him anyway, because she misses him (she also gets him with the hose, later). In this eighth book about the pair--just as fresh and original as the first--Marshall's illustrations are as wonderful, witty, and wise as his text.
