Jenkins, Steve and Robin Page. How to Clean a Hippopotamus: A Look at Unusual Animal Partnerships. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2010. Ages 5-8.

"Sometimes animals form surprising partnerships": a plover walks safely in a crocodile's mouth while an oxpecker peeks out from inside a giraffe's ear. In this new book, Jenkins and Page set out to explore the symbiotic relationships that very different creatures have formed, traveling from the African grasslands to the ocean floor in their pursuit of interesting partnerships.

After a brief introduction, each 1-2 page spread features a pair of critters working together to survive. The beautiful cut and torn paper collages provide realistic texture and complexity to the brief stories, and the text includes plenty of scientific vocabulary while still remaining accessible for younger readers. An appendix discusses different forms of symbiosis such as mutualism and parasitism, and lists the size, habitat, and diet of all the included creatures. An engaging introduction to a fascinating feature of the natural world.