Veronica    by Roger Duvoisin Order:  USA  Can Knopf, 2006 (1961) Hardcover     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson In addition to his delightful Petunia books, Caldecott Medalist Roger Duvoisin wrote a whimsical hippo tale, Veronica. It begins, 'Hippopotamuses can sometimes be very conspicuous. But not so Veronica.' How can that be? Lost in the crowd of hefty hippo relatives, Veronica feels unnoticed and that 'I don't even know myself.' She wants to be different, even famous. So she walks till she finds a crowded city, where she is 'gloriously conspicuous.' Veronica's size - as well as her wading and feeding habits - gets her into all kinds of amusing trouble. But luckily, a nice old lady shows up in time to help her and send her home ... where her adventures win her fame. Kids will relate to Veronica's desire to be special, will chuckle over her futile attempts to be inconspicuous in the city, and will cheer for her return to fame and good fortune in her natural hippo habitat. It's very hard not to smile while reading Veronica. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews