Uncle Eddie has a dilemma--the grass around his house has grown dangerously tall. Just exactly which African animals are making it rustle? Antelope, birds or...crocodiles? Every night the hippos happily mow down the grass on the opposite side of the lake but Uncle Eddie can’t entice them to come near his little house. Finally, he consults the local chief and receives a simple and ingenious answer. This is the first in a series of chapter books for middle readers. Chapters vary in length from 3 to 10 pages and there are a few unusual words--‘scythe’, ‘porcupine’--so they are not intended for the tentative reader. Farmer packs a lot of information about African life into the story but it never feels like a child’s travelogue. A page of basic facts about hippos and a glossary close the book. With a simple dilemma, a simple solution and a simple surprise at the end, Uncle Eddie & the Hippos is admirably well designed for its readership. My only quibble is that the format and cover fairly scream ‘school reader’ to me. But maybe I’m too picky. For ages eight and up.

Liz Riley was a bookseller with The Little Bookroom and now works for the Australian Booksellers Association

Tags: farmer/burgemeestre