Hippos Go Berserk
How dull, to be one hippo all alone… until the one calls two other hippos on the phone. Soon three more hippos are at the door, bringing along another four. Before the night is through, a houseful of hippos (and one beast) has joined the one hippo for a boisterous bash.
All through the hippo night,
Hippos play with great delight.
But at the hippo break of day,
The hippos all must go away.
In clusters of nine, eight, seven, six, and so on, the hippos depart, finally leaving the one hippo “alone once more, [missing] the other forty-four.”
The well-loved Sandra Boynton wrote this tribute to silliness in 1977, inspiring generations of the very young to learn to count. Lively, cute new illustrations complement this edition, with big numbers (one through nine, and nine through one) boldly placed on the corner of each page. The sturdy board book will withstand lots of eager counting fingers, and maybe even a berserk hippo or two. Boynton’s familiar style can be seen in scads of other delightfully nonsensical titles, including Barnyard Dance! and Moo, Baa, La La La!. (Ages 3 to 7) –Emilie Coulter
Here is the classic Boynton counting story in a sturdy, board book version.
Perfect for travel time, bedtime, or PARTY TIME!
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars One of the better Boynton books
Boynton books have really been hit or miss with my daughter - and us parents who must read them.
Hippos go Berserk is one of the better ones. The rhyming and counting keep the pace moving. It’s no “Red Hat Green Hat” in the eyes of my daughter, but much better than some of the alternatives.
5 Stars A true 5 star classic children’s book that happens also to be a counting book
This book is like a Marx Brother’s comedy like Duck Feathers or A Day at the Races. First it starts off with just one hippo and then it gallops along with increasing humor, zaniness, slap dash zippedy-do-dah joy! Wow! The pace picks up and reaches an amazing crescendo of stunning humor and captivating pictures. I love this book! Buy it, keep it, give it away, spread the joy, laughter and silliness of Hippos go Berserk with the whole wide world. There can never be enough laughter or enough of Boynton’s hippos for everyone.
5 Stars One of the better Bpyton Books
Love it. My son still picks it out every night to read! I could read it in my sleep- a sign of a good book!
5 Stars A boynton classic!
Our household has many Boynton books, this one is our 3 year olds favorite at the moment. If you aren’t familiar with the book, it starts off, “One hippo all alone…calls two hippos on the phone”. It goes on until theirs a big party at the hippo’s home. It’s hilarious. Not only does mom and dad enjoy readying it, our daughter loves hearing it as well as looking at all the pictures. My daughter now counts out the hippos on the pages and tells me about them (like the hippos that come overdressed). If you don’t have this one, get it and add it to your collection.
5 Stars Wonderful counting book for repeat reads
Since you end up reading some of these baby books over and over and over again, it’s good to have one that keeps you entertained (as well as baby). We’ve been reading this to our 9 month old for the last few months, and we’re not bored of it yet.
Unique counting book with cute pictures and a good story.
Filed under: Personal Development Book Reviews