Portly didn't ask to be a hippo; he was just born that way. And frankly, he's starting to find being a hippo kind of boring - standing in the water all day up to his eyeballs, eating grass - no fun at all! So he embarks on a journey to figure out just what kind of animal to be, and along the way, meets all kinds of creatures. As he tries to do everything they do, this heartwarming story of a youngster searching for his identity and trying to be somebody he's not will strike a chord with all readers. Repetitive, silly text and bright illustrations make HIPPO-NOT-AMUS an infectiously fun read.