Ben KaChoo - Sink or Swim

By Fierce Fun Toys, LLC
Price $4.95
Age 3-8 yrs.

This sweet, beautifully illustrated tale tells of two very different creatures (at least on the outside) who share the same habitat and meet quite by accident. The theme - how our perceptions of one another based on differences can often be misleading, and how quickly exposure and communication dispel those perceptions - is a rich one to which every child should be exposed. Ben KaChoo is a hippopotamus with allergies, his life at the zoo frequently interrupted by hippo-sized sneezes. But he doesn't let that get him down. In fact, it gives him certain abilities. For example, if he sneezes while swimming in the zoo swamp, the force propels him rapidly through the water in what he calls a 'sneeze-jet!' It is just such a sneeze-jet that sends him rocketing into Arrow, one of the crocodiles that inhabit the swamp and who are no friend to the hippos. For all their differences, Ben and Arrow find many things in common and become fast friends. Ben KaChoo is also available as a sneezing plush toy for 24.95.