A Nigerian folktale -- one of the first picture books John Burningham
ever illustrated -- comes to life again with a text by the venerable
illustrator.
Hare, Hippopotamus, and Elephant all live together in the forest. But
often, when Hippopotamus and Elephant have nothing better to do, they
tease Hare and say horrid things to him. When Hare finally gets fed up
with them, he conceives a plan: he will challenge each of the massive
creatures to a tug-of-war competition. On either side of the trees,
Elephant and Hippopotamus pull and tug all through the night,
incredulous that Hare could be so strong! With cheeky wit and his
signature illustrative style, John Burningham makes the case that even
brute strength can be outweighed by brains -- and a quick getaway.