A Story For Hippo: a book about loss

     This is another example of an incredibly well done book. I would definitely feel comfortable sharing this story with younger students and using it for an assignment in my classroom. The illustrations are brightly colored and painted in design. They take up the entire page and are displayed from cover to cover. Though there were portions of the story that made me upset, the overall message is a happy one and I felt hopeful at the end of the story.
     A Story For Hippo is appropriate for young children and I feel that they would be fond of this book. The story is clear in its intent to express hippo's death and the process monkey goes through to cope with it is ideal for students finding themselves in a similar situation. Monkey takes it upon himself to carry on the hippo's story-telling and I think that is a great thing to teach kids about. Though we may miss someone, there are things we can do to feel closer to them and to keep their spirit alive.

A Story For Hippo: a book about loss
by: Simon Puttock
illustrated by: Alison Bartlett
Published in 2001