The Hiccupotamus
By Aaron Zenz
The Story
A hippopotamus hiccups so hard he keeps toppling onto his bottom, and an elephant, a centipede, and a rhinoceros all try to find a cure before the chaos gets worse.
Why It's Special
For the kid who can't resist a good hiccup joke or a body-slapstick giggle fit, this one turns a hiccupping hippo into the whole show.
- Big idea: Silly problems bring silly friends together — everyone pitches in even when the fix is ridiculous.
- Vibes: Bouncy, silly, and loud in all the best ways, with a rhythm built for reading aloud at top volume.
Perfect For Kids Who
- enjoy rhyming, bouncy read-alouds
- love silly sound effects like HIC!
- like to act out falling on their bottom
- respond well to repetition and predictable rhymes
Ask Your Little Reader
- Story & problem-solving: What did the elephant, centipede, and rhinoceros try to do to help Hippo?
- Imagination: If you had the hiccups that big, what do you think would happen?
- Real-life connection: Have you ever had the hiccups? What made them stop?
- Feelings & empathy: How do you think Hippo felt every time he fell on his bottom?
- Wordplay: Can you say quite-a-lotamus and got'emus without giggling?
