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title: Hippo Wants to Dance
layout: default
---

![Hippo Wants to Dance Cover](images/cover.jpg)
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Hippo wants to dance.
She jumps up and down on the dusty ground. Thump! Thump!

![...](images/1.jpg)
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“You’re getting dirt on me!” says Shongololo, sleeping in the sand. “Go dance somewhere else."

![...](images/2.jpg)
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Hippo wants to dance.
She rolls into the river and splashes her arms and legs. Splish! Splash!

![...](images/3.jpg)
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“You’re making me wet!” says Kingfisher, hunting for her breakfast. “Go dance somewhere else."

![...](images/4.jpg)
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Hippo wants to dance.
She twirls around and around in a field, kicking her legs up high. Swoosh! Swoosh!

![...](images/5.jpg)
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“Be careful! You nearly kicked me!” says Meerkat, bathing his babies. “Go dance somewhere else."

![...](images/6.jpg)
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Hippo wants to dance.
She flops into a puddle of mud and rolls around on her nice big belly. Squish! Squash!

![...](images/7.jpg)
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“Why don't you stop dancing?” asks Donkey, carrying his buckets. “Why can't you do something useful instead?”

![...](images/8.jpg)
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Hippo is sad. She is too sad to dance.
She sits on a rock and cries. The tears roll down her cheeks and fall on the ground. 

![...](images/9.jpg)
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Grasshopper likes the sound. Plop! Plop! He starts dancing around her feet. Hop! Hop!

![...](images/10.jpg)
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Hippo and Grasshopper are dancing. All the other animals come to see. 

![...](images/11.jpg)
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![...](images/12.jpg)
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![Book Dash](images/book-dash-logo.png){:.imprint-logo}
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*Hippo Wants to Dance*  
Illustrated by Megan Andrews  
Written by Sam Beckbessinger  
Designed by Marisa Steyn
Edited by Arthur Attwell and Tarryn-Anne Anderson  
with the help of the [Book Dash participants at Cape Town on 5 March 2016](http://bookdash.org/20160305-cape-town).  
ISBN: ... 
This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). You are free to share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) this work for any purpose, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the following license terms:  
Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.  
No additional restrictions: You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.  
Notices: You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.  
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
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