One Whole Hippopotamus: A Book about Parts and Patterns

Explore the early learning concepts of shapes, sorting, and parts of a whole with the latest addition to Carter Higgins's playful trio of books, where visual and math literacy meet.

From the creative mind behind the strikingly designed and highly lauded Circle Under Berry and Some of These Are Snails comes this deceptively simple concept book that explores colors, shapes, patterns, and fractions. Its imaginative language, rich with rhythm and playfulness, begs to be read aloud, while its thought-provoking design tickles the brain and shows young readers that even the most familiar things can be seen in infinitely new ways. As with the best classic children's books, you'll read it once, then again and again, and see something new every time.

★ "An utterly delightful, visually rich package that will have readers engaging in the types of classification work that form the basis of math skills and enhance memory and problem-solving abilities, too. . . . A must-have for every young reader's bookshelf." --Bookpage on Some of These Are Snails

PACKED WITH LEARNING VALUE: The unusual approach to colors, shapes, and early math intelligently introduces young readers to patterns, classification, and problem solving. Each book in the series explores different ideas, but they also overlap and connect in surprising ways.

UNIQUE DESIGN: This book's art style, with playful nods to Eric Carle and Hervé Tullet, will delight children as well as adults. It sits beautifully on any shelf, from classrooms to home libraries.

GREAT FOR SCHOOL AND LIBRARY USE: Carter Higgins presents engaging learning through a variety of concepts. With its wonderful read-aloud qualities, this book is ideal for teachers and librarians who organize reading events in their classrooms and communities.

TALENTED AUTHOR: Carter Higgins is the author of many books for young readers, including Everything You Need for a Treehouse, an NPR Best Book of the Year, This is Not a Valentine, a Kids' Indie Next List selection, and the chapter book series Audrey L & Audrey W. Her first book as both author and illustrator, Circle Under Berry, was named a best book of the year by Publisher's Weekly, Smithsonian Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal.

Perfect for:

• Parents and grandparents seeking engaging, interactive books for kids
• Children ranging from toddlers to emerging readers
• Classroom gift book for preschool, kindergarten, or art teachers
• Educators of young children looking to support math and language literacy in fun ways
• Gift givers
• Fans of Carter Higgins, Eric Carle, and Laura Vaccaro Seeger
• Fans of fun educational books

Author: Carter Higgins
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Published: 05/26/2026
Pages: 52
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.90h x 7.60w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9781797239521
Audience: Baby-Preschool


Review Citation(s):
Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2026 pg. 67
School Library Journal 11/14/2025 pg. 1
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2026

About the Author

Carter Higgins is the author of many books for young readers, including Everything You Need for a Treehouse, Big and Small and In-Between, and the chapter book series Audrey L and Audrey W. Her first book as both author and illustrator, Circle Under Berry, was named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, Smithsonian Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal. She is also an Emmy-winning visual effects and motion graphics artist and spent a decade as a school librarian. You can find her on Instagram @carterhiggins or online at carterhiggins.com.