Hippos Remain Calm

Sandra Boynton is a popular American cartoonist, children’s author, songwriter, producer, and director. Since 1974, Boynton has written and illustrated over eighty-five children’s books and seven general audience books, including five New York Times bestsellers. More than 90 million of her books have been sold, “mostly to friends and family,” she says. She has also written (with Michael Ford) and produced seven albums of renegade children’s music. Three of her seven albums have been certified Gold (over 500,000 copies sold) and Philadelphia Chickens, nominated for a Grammy, has been certified Platinum (over 1 million copies sold). Boynton has also directed many music videos of her songs, including the award-winning “One Shoe Blues” starring B.B. King, “Alligator Stroll” starring Josh Turner, and “Tyrannosaurus Funk” (animated) sung by Samuel L. Jackson. She lives in rural New England, and her studio is in a barn with perhaps the only hippopotamus weathervane in America.

"This title’s hippo protagonists are not the same wholehearted party animals Boynton portrayed more than 45 years ago in Hippos Go Berserk! But make no mistake: these hippos are living their best, totally centered lives. Now they’re inclined to read from The Big Book of Hippoetry (“O, flare thy wild nostrils, and welcome the day!”), practice mindfulness (of spring snow flurries, “We can... enjoy how it feels on our noses and eyes”), and appreciate a home where they can “settle and breathe.” And when a visit to a friend turns into a raucous hippo party as in the days of yore (a full spread reveals party hats, pink drinks, and hijinks), the protagonists are perfectly capable of hanging in ’til dawn. But their journey home via wheelbarrow now includes a song of gratitude: “Hey I-EEE! I’m a goin’ HOME now!” The creator’s ability to make googly eyes speak volumes remains unmatched, and the reprise of these simple hippo shapes in her signature colorblock hues feels like an embrace from an old friend. As for the hippos, their Middle Way should resonate with introverts, extroverts, and everyone in between."