Читать книгу Chunky, the Happy Hippo: His Many Adventures онлайн

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“Have you named them yet?” asked Mrs. Dippo.

“Not yet,” answered Mrs. Hippo. “I’ve been waiting until I could think of good names.”

“Well, I’d call that one Chunky,” said Mrs. Dippo, pointing with her left ear at the largest of the three little hippos. Mrs. Dippo had to point with her ear, for she was too heavy to raise one foot to point and stand on three. She had only her ears to point with. “I’d call him Chunky,” said Mrs. Dippo.

“Why?” asked Mrs. Hippo.

“Oh, because he’s so jolly-looking; just like a great, big fat chunk of warm mud,” answered Mrs. Dippo. “Call him Chunky.”

“I will,” said Mrs. Hippo, and that is how Chunky got his name.

“Now for your other two children,” went on Mrs. Dippo. “That one,” and she pointed her ear at Chunky’s sister, “I should call Mumpy.”

“Why?” Mrs. Hippo again asked.

“Oh, because she looks just as if her cheeks were all swelled out with the mumps,” answered Mrs. Dippo. For animals sometimes have mumps, or pains and aches just like them. But Chunky’s sister didn’t have them—at least not then. The reason her cheeks stuck out so was because she had a big mouthful of river grass on which she was chewing.