Two hippo friends, named for the first president
And his wife, live out 35 short stories
In our picture book collection.
I read them when I was a girl, and laughed
At George’s mostly innocent sweetness,
And Martha’s feisty, fierce friendship.
I have never grown tired of the pictures,
The silliness of a hippo on a tightrope
Or high dive; of a booth photo gone bad.
After dozens of rereads, the stories
Still make me smile: soup in loafers,
Cuckoo clock in laundry, revenge.
Most books end up either too sweet or,
More likely, too mean, too dark. To strike
A humorous balance of sweetness with an edge:
Genius.
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