The Healing Hippo Of Hinode Park

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Readers adore Healing Hippo:
'I wanted to discover the magical hippo in myself as I read this book' *****
'How does Aoyama depict human emotion so vividly? I imagined myself in this book' *****
'I almost wept on my train home from work' *****
'It gripped my heart. I wish there was a magical hippo near my home' *****
'Whenever I feel hurt, I want to re-read this wonderful book' *****
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‘Kabahiko is an amazing hippo. People say that if you touch the area of his body that you want to make better on yours, he’ll provide a cure'

Nestling at the bottom of a five-storey apartment block is the children's playground, Hinode Park. If you look to the side, standing on stubby legs, is a hippo. Its upturned eyes give it a teary look while its drab paint peels away, yet for decades, its quiet power has sustained the hearts of one community.

Meet the neighbours who will reach out to the hippo:
-Kanato presses his head to the hippo's cheek, hoping in vain to recover the stellar marks he once scored, though he will gain something else instead;
- Sawa, a new mother with no friends, strokes its mouth, wishing to be able to communicate as she once did when she was an award-winning retail assistant;
- Chiharu, off work as a wedding-planner, rubs the hippo's ears to help her gain the ability to listen for the happiness of others;
- Yuya avoids sports day with a fake injury, only to find he really is in pain.
- Kazuhiko's fading eyes from his editorial work will learn to see life's everyday wonder, as he reaches out to his old mother.

A quietly powerful story of hope, friendship and confidence in repair, Michiko Aoyama's beloved bestseller is a celebration of reaching out and leaning in. Its subtle portrayal of the magic of community will lodge itself in every reader's heart.