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How to Clean a Hippopotamus

A Look at Unusual Animal Partnerships
by Steve Jenkins
32p. 978-0-54724-515-7.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 3 This book introduces readers to symbiosis, focusing on relationships in which each partner benefits from the collaboration. While readers may be familiar with birds that groom mammals or small fish that clean bigger ones, more unusual pairings include the boxer crab, which can pluck poisonous anemone, use them as lethal pom-poms with which to chase away larger prey, and then return the favor with stray scraps of food dropped from its imprecise claws. The book concludes with a relationship that will be familiar to many readersthat of humans and dogs. It is a nice way to expand the topic into the domestic sphere, as well as highlighting an area in which the relationship between humans and animals is mutually beneficial, and not simply tilted in our favor. Jenkins's trademark collage illustrations continue to impress with their vibrant and stunning manipulation of cut and torn paper. The book is formatted in a block, comic-book style and is written at a level that is accessible to young browsers yet suitable for older researchers. Supplementary information about the size, habitat, and diet of each animal is included in the back matter. This title is another outstanding offering from this extraordinarily talented, wonderfully symbiotic couple."Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA" Copyright 2010 Media Source Inc.
"How does a turtle keep a hippopotamus clean?" The answer to this question and other examples of symbiosis show how animals and plants benefit from natural partnerships within ecosystems. Though image reduction compromises clarity in some spreads, sharp paneled layouts frame Jenkins's colorful cut-paper illustrations. Reading list.
In vivid illustrations and engaging text, Steve Jenkins and Robin Page present fifty-four animals—from the uncommon blind shrimp to the ordinary domestic dog—in an inviting and thorough explanation of animal symbiosis. The book is filled with fascinating animal relationships such as the one between the Nile crocodile and the Egyptian plover, sometimes called the toothpick bird because it eats tiny bits of meat that it plucks from the crocodile’s teeth. An eye-catching graphic-novel-style design. The collage artwork provides depth and texture. Readers who are already interested in animals and science will eagerly pick up this title, while the striking artwork and design give it broader appeal.

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