Hazel the Hippo

Hazel the hippo lives at the zoo in a lovely pool for two. She’s excited to be getting a new roommate, but she’s worried about her appearance. Hazel’s skin is gray; she has a short tail and short legs; her mouth is big; and she doesn’t have much hair. She doesn’t have feathers or stripes or dots or sharp teeth.

She wants to cry. What will her roommate think of her? Hazel feels sad because all of the other animals are happy in their own coat of skin. Hazel’s friend, Bird, comforts the hippo. He tells her that she is perfect just the way she is—from her sweet little ears to the bottom of her toes.

A rhyming picture book for children Hazel the Hippo delivers the important message that all kids and adults are perfect just the way they are.