But Not the Hippopotamus Board book – November 30, 1982

This is our family's 3rd copy of this classic board book from Sandra Boynton...we literally read the others to death through our 5 (soon to be 6) children, so it was time to get a fresh copy. This adorable story is about a hippopotamus who watches life go by...everyone busy with social lives and activities that pointedly do not include her. Far be if from me to give a plot spoiler on this delightful 14 page board book, but it definitely leaves you with a tear jerking (ok..maybe it is only our 18 month old who fake cries and gives the character a sympathetic kiss?) ending that begs for a sequel.The illustrations are absolutely charming and the range of emotions this seemingly silly little rhyming store evokes is surprising! We always include this in our new baby gift baskets as it is a long time family favorite that the older kids never tire of reading to their siblings.**Odd note...somewhere along the line, the author changed a few words in this book and, for those of us who had completely memorized the original text, it was mildly annoying... lol She did the same thing with another one of our favorites The Going-To-Bed Book. For a million years I knew it forward and backward... then we ordered updated copies and I was tripping over my tongue to learn the new phrases. (Yes, ask my children...I am at least a million years old.)

Love all of Sarah Boynton’s books! Cute, original, and great cadence to the text.

This is a great lap book to share with toddlers and pre-readers. It is a patterned book that allows a youngster to begin to "read" along. The story is silly and has a great punchline. Your young one will love it!

Theis is my favorite kids book. My kids loves saying “but not the hippopotamus!” Fun to read!

Can’t go wrong with ANY Sandra Boynton book. Stories & illustrations make reading time fun & entertaining. These books wear well, too. We gave several we bought for our children and have now added new ones for our grandchildren.

I'm now buying this for grandchildren and grandnieces/nephews. My children loved this book when they were little and still remember reading it. They now read it to their children! It's silly, and the kids love that, repeating "but not the hippopotamus" as we read it.I've purchased this for baby showers, and I think it's good for toddlers too. Short, colorful, silly, it engages them.

We love Sandra Boynton books in this household but this one was a little less fun than some of her others. My toddlers don’t usually request this one compared to the others we have (e.g., silly lullaby, snuggle puppy, moo baa lalala, etc.). Still happy to have it as part of our collection though. I use it to talk about rhyming words usually when we do read it.

This is a truly adorable book, which I believe shows the message of some personalities being shy and needing others to go out of their way to include them. Our 18 month old daughter picks this out from her many books on a daily basis. When it comes to the page of the hippopotamus not knowing if she should stay or go, our daughter always says "awe" as if she is being emphathetic to the hippos shyness. We have read this to her 3 and 5 year old cousins and they enjoyed it as well. The three year old asked why the hippo didn't like to play with the other animals. He seemed to really think about it when I explained that she wanted to but she was too shy to join in. As with all of her books, Sandra Boynton gives great rhyming and fun characters. We have quite a collection of her books but I would say this is in my top five of enjoyable ones to read over and over.