Hippos in Literature: Background information when reading Mina's Matchbox

In Mina's Matchbox, a book filled with quirky characters, Yōko Ogawa introduces one of her most memorable creations yet: Pochiko, a 35-year-old pygmy hippopotamus. Flying in the face of the species' reputation as aggressors, Pochiko has a sweet temperament, charming the novel's protagonist and the readers alike. But she is far from the first hippo to beguile readers.

There have, unsurprisingly, been many children's books to feature hippos: Hippos Go Berserk! by Sandra Boynton, The Hiccupotamus by Aaron Zenz, George and Martha by James Marshall, The Truth About Hippos by Maxwell Eaton III, and more. But hippos have also been featured in books, poems, and short stories for adult readers.

Frank L. Baum's 1901 short story collection American Fairy Tales features a story called "The Laughing Hippopotamus." The book is a collection of twelve fantasy stories, and "The Laughing Hippopotamus" introduces an aristocratic family of hippos who live on the Congo River and exist in a ...