HIPPOS GO BERSERK!
by Sandra Boynton & illustrated by Sandra Boynton
Hippos Go Berserk ($14.00, paper $5.99; Oct. 1, 1996; 32 pp.; 0- 689-80854-2, paper 0-689-80818-6): A 20-year-old counting book gets new illustrations featuring, once again, the solitary hippo who invites two friends to what becomes a wild party as groups of three, then four hippos (up to nine) arrive and then depart. Large numerals appear in the corners of the appropriate pages, where the hippos, wearing wonderfully varied expressions, cavort on large expanses of cheery color. Some of the humor will register only with adults, e.g., a hippo portrait pays homage to Whistler. Most of the fun will make perfect sense to preschoolers; give this to a slightly younger audience than those who love Jeff Sheppard's The Right Number of Elephants (1990). (Picture book. 2-5)