Hippo book from Devon author

Henry Hippo can't say what he his

A Devon man has published his children's book 30 years after writing it.

Andy Cooper penned the story about a hippo for his mother who was a primary school teacher to read to her class.

The 54-year-old said he tried on a number of occasions to have his work about Harry the Hippopotamus published but was unsuccessful.

Two years ago, on a road trip to Woolacombe Beach with his partner and granddaughter Bonnie, who was two years old at the time, a traffic jam brought the tale back to life.

Andy said: "Bonnie asked for a story as she was bored and the only thing I could think of was to recite ‘Harry’ from memory - she liked it so much it prompted me to think about resurrecting it.”

Realising that his book would need illustrations, he partnered with Leigh Jackson, a Devon-based illustrator who brought the story of Harry to life.

And Bonnie is delighted to see the story she still loves hearing finally make it into print.

“It has been a lovely surprise to see the book come to life and I am still pinching myself how things turned out.

“If we hadn’t got stuck in that traffic jam a couple of years ago then I wouldn’t have found myself reading Harry out loud to Bonnie and the story would have just remained a distant memory. I have a lot to thank her for!”

The book – aimed at children up to the age of six – tells the story of Harry, a young hippopotamus with a big problem…he can’t say the word ‘hippopotamus’.

No matter how hard he tries he can’t say the vital word and this leads to a lot of frustration on his part and mickey-taking from other animals. But after many travails, Harry does come out triumphant in the end.

Harry the Hippopotamus is out now.