This book has been the favourite in our house for a long time.It has been read so many times, it is known by heart. A great book to share with the 3-8 year olds.

In my view, this book is about power and sorting out boundaries.Being a little kid sometimes makes you feel powerless: everyone is bigger and can do more things than you. Imagining yourself , or an ally , to be equally or more powerful is part of growing up. It is also fun to imagine a world where there are no limitations e.g. you can eat cake all the time. And instead of being scared by noises at night on the roof, it is much more comforting to imagine that it is your big powerful friend, the Hippo. That's why kids love this series of books about the cake-eating hippo.

Simplicity with layers underneath is the essence of a picture book and this book has both. I don't want to read War and Peace with our kids. I want to share a story which seems simple on the surface, is heaps of fun, but which gives you something to talk about with your kids. Our children both LOVED Hippo on the Roof and they came back again and again to the concept of the kid's alter ego having all the freedom she craved. They even picked up on the fact that the cake and other things she wanted were not always that good for her. (I swear I didn't coach them...) Lots of kids have imaginary friends, not many of them have hippos on their roof. I bet they wished they did.