Children's Nonfiction Humorous
What a Hippopota-Mess!
- Publisher
- Orca Book Publishers
- Initial publish date
- Sep 2006
- Category
- Humorous, General, General
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781551434025
- Publish Date
- Sep 2006
- List Price
- $6.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781554697755
- Publish Date
- Sep 2006
- List Price
- $0.99
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Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 6 to 8
- Grade: 1 to 3
- Reading age: 6 to 8
Description
The poems in this book tell stories of animals and nature, from two sweaty hippos, a smiling lizard and some creepy crawlers to a few tricky dandelions. At the end of each poem, find out more in an interview with a key character or a list of fascinating facts.
About the authors
Pat Skene retired from the world of banking to find her voice. She is an Indigenous author of seven books for children, including What a Hippopota-Mess!, Rhyme Stones and Monster Lunch in the Orca Echo line. Pat is a regular contributor to the Oakville News and is currently working on her memoir. She lives in Oakville, Ontario.
Pat Lamondin Skene's profile page
Look! Look what I've done!! The words of an eight year old as he holds up the drawing of a vibrant red fire engine. Oh Graham, that's wonderful.
Really? Oh this is good. You draw a picture and you get a reaction. I could get into this! And so it began. The seed was planted, further watered by bedtime rituals of propping pillows up against his bedroom wall getting into bed to get lost in a family member's reading of The Wind in the Willows.
An unintended lesson learned through those readings that our intrepid illustrator still calls upon in his illustration work is that the viewer will take different things from the illustration and he will add elements to the illustration that may go over some heads, but others will catch them and smile. There's always something to look at.
A graduate of the illustration program at Sheridan College in Ontario, Graham thought he would stick around the big smoke and in addition to his work as a designer at Canadian publisher McClelland & Stewart, he would also cultivate his Flock of Seagulls hair style and work on his dance floor moves. But alas soon follicles started to recede and shoulder pads deflated, so Graham moved back to his hometown of Ottawa, Ontario to contemplate his next career move.
It was in Ottawa that Graham began his freelance illustration and graphic design career. A career that has spawned illustrations for such publishers as Orca Book Publishers, Scholastic Canada, and Meadowside Books of the United Kingdom, as well as numerous Canadian government agencies and private design firms.
He lives in Merrickville, Ontario with a circus star family: his juggling wife, a helldriver daughter, a canine cannonball, and a fire breathing cat.
Awards
- Commended, Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) Our Choice
Excerpt: What a Hippopota-Mess! (by (author) Pat Lamondin Skene; illustrated by Graham Ross)
I saw two hippopotami,
when they were peeking water-high.
One hippo seemed a friendly guy,
but not for very long!
Editorial Reviews
"A terrific book for kids...funny and informative—great to read aloud in a classroom setting. Highly recommended."
CM Magazine
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