River of Teeth

River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey, 175 pages

Facing a nationwide meat shortage just over 100 years ago, Congress considered a plan to import hippos to the U.S. and create hippo ranches. This is absolutely true, though it ultimately didn't come to fruition. Thankfully, Sarah Gailey heard about this ludicrous plan and decided to write a Western-esque adventure story of revenge set in the marshy lands of the Mississippi delta.

This novella features a rowdy bunch of outlaws hired to wrangle the feral hippos out of the area and into the Gulf of Mexico. But their leader, a British transplant and former hippo rancher, has an ulterior motive that not all of the crew members are on board for. While I have a few quibbles with transitions, for the most part this is an enjoyable, rollicking ride. The second book, Taste of Marrow, has moved up to the top spot on my TBR list.

Hippospotamus by Jeanne Willis ;illustrated by Tony Ross 23 pages 9781467703161

Hippo discovers a red spot on her bottom.  A variety of animals studies the spot and offers their medical opinions ranging from measles, mumps, jungle fever, etc.  She patiently tries all of their treatments to no avail until a small boy makes the correct observation.  The conclusion is hilarious and gross. The reader’s reaction has got to be EWWWWW! The text is brief and to the point with just a touch of Seuss and a smidgeon of Lewis Carroll added for good measure.