ABOUT THE BOOK

How to Clean a Hippopotamus introduces children to the remarkable world of animal partnerships and symbiotic relationships. Why would a tiny bird climb onto a huge hippopotamus? Why do completely different animals sometimes cooperate instead of competing?

Through striking collage-style illustrations and fascinating examples from nature, readers discover how animals work together for food, protection, cleaning, transportation and survival.

WHO IS IT FOR?

Recommended age: 6–11 years

Excellent for young animal lovers, budding zoologists, nature enthusiasts and children who enjoy discovering unusual facts about wildlife.

WHY WE LOVE IT

This is much more than an ordinary animal book. It introduces an important ecological concept—interdependence—through memorable real-world examples.

The unusual partnerships encourage children to understand ecosystems as interconnected communities rather than collections of individual animals.

NOTABLE CREDENTIALS

The back cover highlights strong critical recognition for other books by the same creative team, including starred reviews and a 2004 Caldecott Honor for What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?

BOOK DETAILS

Authors: Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Subject: Animals, Ecology, Symbiosis & Unusual Partnerships
Style: Illustrated/Collage Children’s Nonfiction
Publisher/Imprint: Macmillan Education / Springboard Connect
ISBN: 978-1-4586-4890-7
Themes: Cooperation, Survival, Ecosystem