Jordan and the Dancing Hippo by Jo Kusi and Arnav Mazumdar
Published: Nyansa Books, 2018
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Jordan can’t wait for his birthday, but when the big day comes, it seems like everyone has forgotten. Jordan has to learn patience before he can enjoy his reward: a dancing hippo.
The artwork is cartoonish and adorable. Background objects can be a bit simple in places, but the character work is a standout. The color palette is bright and isn’t afraid of sharp contrasts.
The story mostly centers around Jordan’s anticipation of his coming birthday. The celebration is delayed and Jordan has to learn a lesson about patience, which is fine. We often don’t celebrate birthdays until after dinner and my daughter has had to learn patience too.
The dancing hippo doesn’t arrive until the end and is not part of the main story, which is a pacing problem. The hippo is on the cover and in the title; it should be the most important part of the book, and as soon as he arrives, the story is over. Kids are likely to be looking for more of the hippo… Maybe in the sequel?