Afraid of the Hippo in the middle, Turtle enlists a flock of friends to help her cross the river. But it's the most unlikely ally that eventually gets Turtle to the other side in The Turtle and the Hippopotamus, a rebus book companion to The Bird, the Monkey, and the Snake in the Jungle by Kate Banks, illus. by Tomek Bogacki.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
reSchool-Grade 1-In this rebus book, a turtle is afraid to cross a river to get to the luscious reeds and beautiful water lilies on the other side because of the huge hippopotamus in the middle. She gets cues from a bird, grasshopper, ants, and possum as to how to reach her destination. She tries to fly, jump, and build a bridge but all attempts fail. As she tries to swing across on a rope, it breaks and she lands on the hippo's back. He carries her across and kindly encourages her to eat the reeds. The large, pastel-colored illustrations lack a focal point. The use of unfamiliar words will frustrate beginning readers, and the addition of visually obscure rebus images makes the pages cluttered and confusing to read, even for an adult. Not a necessary purchase.
Janet M. Bair, Trumbull Library, CT
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
PreS.-Gr. 1. Banks and Bogacki's first rebus book, The Bird, the Monkey, and the Snake in the Jungle (1999), combined a simple, captivating animal fable with subtle paintings and word puzzles. This one follows the same format as it tells a story about a turtle who confronts his fears. Turtle needs to cross the river, but an enormous, terrifying hippo blocks his path. He tries to emulate other animals by building bird wings and swinging from a rope like a monkey swings with its tail, but he fails with each try. Then, surprise! Hippo kindly ferries Turtle across. The swooping bands of text embedded with rebus pictures overlay Bogacki's feathery painting and make for chaotic, visually challenging spreads. But many beginning readers will delight in the rebus concept and enjoy piecing the appealing story together; a puzzle key offers additional support on each page. A crowded but enticing offering. Gillian Engberg
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Review
"In this second rebus book from Banks and Bogacki, icons take the place of one or two words in each sentence of the narrative and are defined in a picture-glossary at the bottom of the page . . . the story is sweet and funny, and the softly colored paintings are simply beautiful." --The Horn Book
About the Author
Kate Banks is the recipient of the Charlotte Zolotow Award for The Night Worker. Her other titles include And If the Moon Could Talk, a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner. She lives in the South of France with her husband and two children.
Tomek Bogacki is the author and illustrator of My First Garden and Circus Girl. He lives in New York City.
