SuitabookA hippo in our yard
Liza Donnelly
- Reading
- Read the repeated exchanges aloud and pause before each animal is introduced, inviting guesses from the illustrations. Afterwards, compare Sally’s persistence with the relatives’ attention and consider alternative responses.
- Themes
- Being heard by family: Sally reports extraordinary animals, while her mother, father, sister, and Nana remain occupied and dismiss her until a telephone call changes the situation. The book leaves its stance open to more than one reading.
- Imagination and comic reversal: Sally’s claims seem impossible to her relatives, yet animals really are present around the house because a zoo escape has occurred. The story uses an apparently imaginary situation to build a humorous reversal in which Sally’s observations are accurate.
- Worth knowing
- The family repeatedly dismisses Sally while eating, working, knitting, or using a device, and zoo animals are loose around the home. A child may want to discuss being unheard and whether the adults’ behaviour is acceptable.