Hippo Beach

Barbara Robertson is the author of Wilfrid Laurier: The Great
Conciliator and the co-author of The Well-Filled Cupboard.

Pierre Pratt, who won the 1994 Governor General’s Award for
illustration in the French-language children’s literature category,
has produced a charming and virtually textless little book about a happy
hippo’s day at the beach.

The hippo spends a delightful Sunday changing himself into things (like
a shoe, which itself turns into a car) and even brushing his teeth at
the end of the day. The visual wit is engaging, though it may require a
bit of parental guidance for very young children to appreciate it fully.

Hippo Beach is like an hors d’oeuvre, delicious but not sustaining,
nor meant to be. It would be nice to see Pratt advance to a main
course—something with a story—in his next book. Recommended.