The elephants aren't happy, because the hippos' river has dried up, and they moved to share the elephants' river. Elmer, the patchwork elephant, decides to investigate to see what happened to the hippos' river. He discovers that if the hippos and the elephants work together, they can move the rocks that fell and are blocking the river.

Two naughty babies, a zebra and a hippo, get in trouble when they persist in playing instead of going to sleep.

It's Bertie's birthday and he's going to have a birthday party. There's a birthday cake to be made, and decorations to be hung, and games to be played, and best of all, presents to be opened. But where is Daddy's present? Daddy has hidden it so well, he cannot find it himself.

A bad case of hiccups in the library leads to a series of outlandish experiences and a set of rules related to library books, hippopotamuses, and little sisters.

In five brief episodes two hippopotamuses reinforce their friendship.

Alphonse, a young hippopotamus too big, green, and different to fit in, leaves the circus where his family lives and goes to New York City, where he finally finds a friend who likes him just the way he is.

Five brief episodes reveal the ups and downs of a great friendship.

When Duck and Hippo join their friends for a picnic, Hippo forgets to bring anything to share and heads off into the forest to find some berries.

None of her jungle friends can find Hilda Hippo a quieter, less disruptive replacement for dancing, her favorite hobby, until Water Buffalo suggests an activity that allows Hilda to express her dance creativity in a new way.

George and Martha: not, as one might think, the first president and his spouse, but two hippopotamuses created by the singular talent of James Marshall. For the past quarter century, these stories have entertained, intrigued, and delighted readers of all ages. The portly animals have also taught us, in a humorous and lighthearted way, about what it means to be a true friend. A man with a talent for friendship, James Marshall defined its very essence...