MOUSE AND HIPPO

Name: MOUSE AND HIPPO
Author: Mike Twohy
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5124-6

by Mike Twohy ; illustrated by Mike Twohy ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 7, 2017

While there are plenty of picture books that feature unlikely friendships, young listeners will be pleased to make the...

bookshelf

Two anthropomorphic animals meet unexpectedly and quickly become friends despite their differences.

Mouse is placidly painting atop a rock when suddenly it shakes, and Mouse is thrown into the lake. Struggling and sputtering, Mouse is rescued by Hippo, the “rock.” Grateful for the help and flattered by Hippo’s praise, Mouse decides to paint a picture of Hippo. Hippo, inspired, returns the favor. Their enthusiasm for each other’s extremely original, if unconventional, artistic efforts cements their friendship. The straightforward plot is conveyed entirely in dialogue with individualized typefaces and colors used to distinguish the speakers. This variation serves to emphasize the characters’ physical differences (brown-furred Mouse’s is spindly and brown; gray Hippo’s is gray and chunky) as well as making it easy to follow the action. Although the story moves along briskly, Twohy effectively creates distinct—and distinctly charming—personalities for his characters through their speech. He also showcases their creativity and problem-solving without being in the least didactic. His crisp, cartoon-style illustrations complement and extend the humorous text. Bright colors, black outlines, and plenty of white space keep the focus squarely on his two protagonists.

While there are plenty of picture books that feature unlikely friendships, young listeners will be pleased to make the acquaintance of these two cheerful creatures and, quite possibly, inspired to view the world in engaging new ways. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-4814-5124-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
SPACEBOT
by Mike Twohy ; illustrated by Mike Twohy

- BOOK REVIEW
STOP, GO, YES, NO!
by Mike Twohy ; illustrated by Mike Twohy

- BOOK REVIEW
OOPS, POUNCE, QUICK, RUN!
by Mike Twohy ; illustrated by Mike Twohy

bookshelf

LITTLE BLUE TRUCK LOST AND FOUND

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18, 2026

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.

bookshelf

Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.

After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026

ISBN: 9780063436121

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

bookshelf

ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

bookshelf

Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)