"This has to be one of the most charming books for toddlers that I've come across in a long time. The narrative follows the conventions of many a successful children's book: a little hippo, so keen to go out to play that he forgets to kiss his mother. He waddles through the squelchy, squelchy mud, around the bumpy, bumpy rocks...encountering all the other animals and their mothers.The full page illustrations are superb: lushly painted in acrylic, with lots of textural interest, attractive harmonising colours setting a sunny mood, good characterisation and left to right movement. I thought it was very well emotionally tuned in to the toddler age group, giving them a rich visual experience while at the same time while at the same time demonstrating that words can be fun to play with..."