Hippos Go Berserk!:
Sandra Boynton - Hippos Go Berserk!
On the cover of my book it is light blue with five hippos running. One is upside down. One has a balloon. Two are wearing hats. One has a tie.
The next page shows a hippo sitting in a chair at a table with a phone on it. In the upper right hand corner is a yellow number 1. The text says "One hippo, all alone."
The next page shows a hippo talking on the phone. The text says "calls two hippos".
The next page shows two hippos talking on the phone sitting on a sofa. There is a lamp and a telephone table and a plant. There is a pink number 2 in the upper right hand corner. The text says "on the phone."
The next page shows three hippos walking up to a house. The host hippo is at the door and two other hippos are looking out the window. There is a yellow number 3 in the upper right hand corner. The text says "three hippos at the door". The next page shows four hippos wearing party hats. There is a green number 4 in the upper right hand corner. The text says "bring along another four."
The next two pages show five hippos dressed in evening gowns and tuxedos. There is a purple 5 on the upper right hand corner of the second page. The text says "Five hippos come overdressed."
The next page has a blue 6 in the upper left hand corner. There are six hippos and a blue fuzzy monster (who appears to be straight out of "Horns to Toes and In Between"). The hippos are marching in front of a picture of "Whistler's Mother" except the old lady is a hippo in the picture.
The next page just has the text "Six hippos show up with a guest."
The next page has the host hippo at the door looking a big gift-wrapped sack. The text says "Seven hippos".
The next page has seven hippos popping out of the sack and a green 7 in the upper right hand corner. The text says "arrive in a sack."
The next two pages have eight hippos entering the rear of the house. There is a green 8 in the upper left hand corner of the left page. The text says "Eight hippos sneak in the back."
The next two pages have nine hippos dressed as maids and butlers. There is a yellow 9 in the upper right hand corner of the right hand page. The text says "Nine hippos come to work."
The next two pages show many hippos at a party. They are dancing and climbing on the lamp. They rip the Whistler's Hippo off the wall. The text says "ALL THE HIPPOS GO BERSERK!"
The next page has a picture of a hippo house filled with hippos at a party. There is even a hippo on the roof. The text says "All through the hippo night, hippos play with great delight."
The next page is orange and is text only. The text says "But at the hippo break of day, the hippos all must go away."
The next page has a white 9 in the upper left hand corner. There is a picture of nine hippos dressed as maids and butlers and the little blue monster. The text says "Nine hippos and a beast"
The next page has a yellow 8 in the upper right hand corner. There is a picture of a bus with the text "Greyhip Bus Lines" on it. The text of the story says "eight hippos riding east, while"
The next page has a yellow 7 in the upper left hand corner of the page. There is a picture of a covered wagon with 2 hippos dressed as cows pulling it. There are two hippos driving. There are two hippos sitting on the side of the wagon. There is a hippo playing the fiddle sitting on the back. The text says "seven hippos moving east leave"
The next page has a white 6 about one third of the way in horizontally at the top of the right hand side of the page. There are six crying hippos. The text says "six hippos quite distressed, and"
The next page has a purple 5 in the upper left hand corner. Three male hippos dressed in tuxedos and two female hippos dressed in evening gown walk away from the house. The text says "five hippos then set forth with"
The next page has a blue 4 in the upper right hand corner. There is a helicopter with two hippos inside and two outside. The text says "four hippos headed north."
The next page has a green 3 in the upper right hand corner of the page and has three dancing hippos. The text says "Three hippos, say "Good day.""
The next page has a dark blue 2 in the upper right hand corner. There is a hippo in a wheelbarrow being pushed by another hippo. The text says "The last two hippos go their way."
The next page has a bright pink 1 in the upper left hand corner. The first hippo sits in front of the phone looking sad. A party hat hangs off the back of her chair. The text says "One hippo, alone once more,"
The last page is white and has text that reads "misses the other forty-four."
When my daughter graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University one of the graduation speakers read this story to the graduates. He used it as an analogy to life in general and college in particular. Strangers come together, become friends and then their lives lead them in different directions.
The story and the analogy are very meaningful to me. I think of my brothers in the army and don't know one of them now. It is also true of my small group of friends at Kansas State University.
"All through the hippo night, hippos play with great delight."
"But at the hippo break of day, the hippos all must go away."
But most of all I feel the joy and the loss at the end of every school year as children I have grown to love must go away. I share the story and the professor's analogy with them and I think the kids get it.
Sandra Boynton - Hippos Go Berserk!
On the cover of my book it is light blue with five hippos running. One is upside down. One has a balloon. Two are wearing hats. One has a tie.
The next page shows a hippo sitting in a chair at a table with a phone on it. In the upper right hand corner is a yellow number 1. The text says "One hippo, all alone."
The next page shows a hippo talking on the phone. The text says "calls two hippos".
The next page shows two hippos talking on the phone sitting on a sofa. There is a lamp and a telephone table and a plant. There is a pink number 2 in the upper right hand corner. The text says "on the phone."
The next page shows three hippos walking up to a house. The host hippo is at the door and two other hippos are looking out the window. There is a yellow number 3 in the upper right hand corner. The text says "three hippos at the door". The next page shows four hippos wearing party hats. There is a green number 4 in the upper right hand corner. The text says "bring along another four."
The next two pages show five hippos dressed in evening gowns and tuxedos. There is a purple 5 on the upper right hand corner of the second page. The text says "Five hippos come overdressed."
The next page has a blue 6 in the upper left hand corner. There are six hippos and a blue fuzzy monster (who appears to be straight out of "Horns to Toes and In Between"). The hippos are marching in front of a picture of "Whistler's Mother" except the old lady is a hippo in the picture.
The next page just has the text "Six hippos show up with a guest."
The next page has the host hippo at the door looking a big gift-wrapped sack. The text says "Seven hippos".
The next page has seven hippos popping out of the sack and a green 7 in the upper right hand corner. The text says "arrive in a sack."
The next two pages have eight hippos entering the rear of the house. There is a green 8 in the upper left hand corner of the left page. The text says "Eight hippos sneak in the back."
The next two pages have nine hippos dressed as maids and butlers. There is a yellow 9 in the upper right hand corner of the right hand page. The text says "Nine hippos come to work."
The next two pages show many hippos at a party. They are dancing and climbing on the lamp. They rip the Whistler's Hippo off the wall. The text says "ALL THE HIPPOS GO BERSERK!"
The next page has a picture of a hippo house filled with hippos at a party. There is even a hippo on the roof. The text says "All through the hippo night, hippos play with great delight."
The next page is orange and is text only. The text says "But at the hippo break of day, the hippos all must go away."
The next page has a white 9 in the upper left hand corner. There is a picture of nine hippos dressed as maids and butlers and the little blue monster. The text says "Nine hippos and a beast"
The next page has a yellow 8 in the upper right hand corner. There is a picture of a bus with the text "Greyhip Bus Lines" on it. The text of the story says "eight hippos riding east, while"
The next page has a yellow 7 in the upper left hand corner of the page. There is a picture of a covered wagon with 2 hippos dressed as cows pulling it. There are two hippos driving. There are two hippos sitting on the side of the wagon. There is a hippo playing the fiddle sitting on the back. The text says "seven hippos moving east leave"
The next page has a white 6 about one third of the way in horizontally at the top of the right hand side of the page. There are six crying hippos. The text says "six hippos quite distressed, and"
The next page has a purple 5 in the upper left hand corner. Three male hippos dressed in tuxedos and two female hippos dressed in evening gown walk away from the house. The text says "five hippos then set forth with"
The next page has a blue 4 in the upper right hand corner. There is a helicopter with two hippos inside and two outside. The text says "four hippos headed north."
The next page has a green 3 in the upper right hand corner of the page and has three dancing hippos. The text says "Three hippos, say "Good day.""
The next page has a dark blue 2 in the upper right hand corner. There is a hippo in a wheelbarrow being pushed by another hippo. The text says "The last two hippos go their way."
The next page has a bright pink 1 in the upper left hand corner. The first hippo sits in front of the phone looking sad. A party hat hangs off the back of her chair. The text says "One hippo, alone once more,"
The last page is white and has text that reads "misses the other forty-four."
When my daughter graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University one of the graduation speakers read this story to the graduates. He used it as an analogy to life in general and college in particular. Strangers come together, become friends and then their lives lead them in different directions.
The story and the analogy are very meaningful to me. I think of my brothers in the army and don't know one of them now. It is also true of my small group of friends at Kansas State University.
"All through the hippo night, hippos play with great delight."
"But at the hippo break of day, the hippos all must go away."
But most of all I feel the joy and the loss at the end of every school year as children I have grown to love must go away. I share the story and the professor's analogy with them and I think the kids get it.