I Create Purty Thangs: Guest book review - Harvey the Hippo; A Tale of Good Food Choices by Abby Pete (Author), Leslie Pontz (Illustrator)

Up in the sky... Is it a bird? A plane? No, it's Harvey the hippo floating by!

As all hippos do, Harvey liked to eat a lot of food. But, unlike other hippos, Harvey liked to eat all kinds of food, especially treats and he liked to eat a lot of them. He ate so many treats that he floated up to the sky and around the world. He got to see many interesting sights but after a week of fun travel and not eating a thing, he got so thin he floated right back into his zoo where his family and friends, and a mound of lettuce, were waiting for him.

"Harvey the Hippo brings new delight to the body of read-aloud literature for young children. The rhythm of the poem is sure to engage the ear of many a three to six-year-old, and the vibrantly tinted illustrations are pure confection to the eye. Thank you, Harvey, for nourishing the inner life of the young child!" --Toni Seidl, child psychotherapist

"As a pediatrician, I see the effects of unhealthy food choices on children every day. Harvey the Hippo is a fun, beautifully illustrated story that opens the door for families to discuss with young children how food choices affect their bodies". --Jamie Pinto, pediatrician

"Our daughters loved the rhyming words, illustrations, and lessons learned about eating well in Harvey the Hippo. It was fun to join Harvey on his trip around the world. We were able to discuss geography, different cultures, and foods. This book will serve as a touchstone for our family to remind all of us to eat well and only enjoy treats in moderation." --Martha and Paul Sharkey, Founders, Today Is A Good Day

Learn more at www.HarveyTheHippo.com

From the Growing With Love Series from Loving Healing Press

Available to buy from...

Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk GPlay Nook Paperback Hardback Audible

Also available in audio!

Enjoy these excerpts...

25-Year publishing dream comes true for the Hill Sisters - Chestnut Hill Local, May 2021

Guest book review by Carly Louise Wilson

Harvey the Hippo: A tale of good food choices, is well illustrated rhyming children’s book to discuss and stress the issues of relationships with food and the dangers of having an unhealthy diet.

It is put in a funny and entertaining way, to make light of a fundamental issue. It shows what can happen if you eat to excess and what happens if you eat a balance diet. The only thing I didn’t like was it potentially highlighted a binge/starve mindset depending on interpretation, but the overall message was important and vital in promoting how eating less and well can boost energy, mood and also ensure you are more active.

I thought it was a clever way to make children think about their eating habits, and also help pinpoint the importance of nutrition.

Engaging, well-illustrated and the rhyme helps add a bit of entertainment and help with child engagement.

4 Stars

About the author

In a time long ago, Abby Pete retired from teaching English and started a family and a catering/takeout food business in central Pennsylvania. Years passed and she moved to Philadelphia, bringing her family, but not her business, with her. There she decided to pursue another of her interests, animals, and became a docent at the Philadelphia Zoo, where she can happily talk about hippos as well as the other animals in the collection. She has never actually seen a hippopotamus fly. She has four grandchildren, two of whom eat well and two do not.

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About the illustrator

Leslie Pontz is a fiber sculptor with a masters degree in Fine Arts from Syracuse University where she did her thesis on children’s art, and was the recipient of two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts through the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts as an Artist-in-residence. Leslie has shown internationally in invitational and juried exhibits in France, Brazil, Ireland, and Venezuela as well as throughout the U.S. She is the recipient of several awards for her work, which is featured in many private and public collections including but not limited to the Kamm, Best Western, Chestnut Hill Hotel and Philadelphia Museum of Art collections. Leslie lives with her husband Curt in Philadelphia, PA. Their five grown children have given them eight grandchildren.