I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first Harvey Hippo book I've read, but I don't think it's necessary to read them in any sort of order. I didn't seem to be missing anything.

This is a simple story about a hippo (Harvey) who wants to bring over a new friend to his home for lunch. There's something different about this friend when compared to Harvey and it leads to a good lesson that is subtle enough to teach without being overbearing. That's always important, I find, when dealing with a children's book, as if it's overbearing, if the lesson smacks the kid upside the head, then it isn't likely to be a staying one.

Learning to make new friends and try new things. as Harvey's new friend does when sampling a new dish at the titular lunch, is an important skill for the target reading audience.

The reason I gave this a lower rating is more because of the art style. While it was alright for the most part and quite cute in others, there were several pages where the angles of objects were not in line with the background, making the setting have a wonky feel to it. I'm not sure whether a child would notice this, but I think it might bother the adult reading this to their son or daughter.