Ernie the Easter Hippopotamus

This clever twist on the familiar Easter Bunny story is a beautifully illustrated, comical, and charming tall-tale of a young hippopotamus with a very special talent -- to make brightly colored "naturally hard-boiled eggs." This gets him into big trouble with the other hippopotamuses, and he is forced to leave his river home on a journey that brings him to America (New Jersey, to be specific), where he happily becomes the "Easter Hippopotamus." If you are not yet familiar with this modern classic, you should be. With some 56 beautifully illustrated pages, it is almost twice the length of most modern children's picture books, but not a word or a picture is wasted. The book is excellent both for young readers to age 7 or 8, and as a refreshing funny "read-to-me book" for younger children as young as 2 or 3.