Choices, Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Youth List, Collaborative Summer Library Program

A box of animal crackers inspires a Mexican American boy to imagine what he would do with an eclectic array of creatures.

What would you do if you had a hippopotamus?
Or a kangaroo? Or a crocodile?

This sturdy board book is designed to celebrate the joy of sharing, unleash the imaginations of children, and delight young readers and listeners again and again. In it, Uncle gets the melodious coyote, best friend gets the speedy jaguar, and the lucky girl next door gets the reluctant wart hog. Best of all is the surprise that's left when the box is empty!

Inspired by his classroom experiences, the author, a teacher and artist, offers a cheerful, engaging way for children to interact imaginatively with animals while learning about their diverse habitats. At the same time, I Had a Hippopotamus provides positive, authentic images of a contemporary Latino family.