Kirkus Review

Intrepid Hippo travels the world, making new friends everywhere he lands. Simple declarative statements introduce children to greetings in eight languages. They learn that to say hello, Hippo "says Bonjour!' in France." He says "Privyet!" in Russia, "Al Salaamu Alaykum!" in Egypt, "Namaste!" in India, "Ni hao!" in China, "Konnichiwa!" in Japan and "Hola!" in Argentina. Pronunciation help is provided in brackets below the primary text. Each illustration features Hippo greeting friends in a setting evocative of the particular country he's visiting. For example, he sits at a cafe table with the Eiffel Tower in the background in France and perches atop a cheery elephant next to a fountain in a courtyard in India. Perpetually smiling Hippo is decked out in a green striped shirt and orange shorts and accompanied by a tiny, bright red bird. At the end, "Hippo's Travel Map!" shows red stars marking all the places Hippo has visited as he waves jauntily from the old-fashioned plane he pilots across the page. In the companion title, How Gator Says Good-bye!, Gator visits the same countries Hippo does, only he is shown saying goodbye instead of hello, and the featured scene for each country is different. Simple text and charming illustrations make this an appealing introduction to some of the world's many languages and cultures. (Board book. 2-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.