Pagine¿Por qué los hipopótamos no tienen pelo?
A free picture book in Spanish by Basilio Gimo, David Ker
¿Por qué los hipopótamos no tienen pelo? is a picture book in Spanish for ages 5–8 by Basilio Gimo, David Ker that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Spanish
- Written by
- Basilio Gimo, David Ker
- Illustrated by
- Carol Liddiment
- Translated by
- Karina Vásquez
- Reading level
- ages 5–8 · kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 2 · First sentences
- Source
- Global Storybooks
- Licence
- CC BY 3.0
- Price
- Free — read online, nothing to download
About this book
¿Por qué los hipopótamos no tienen pelo? is a short illustrated picture book in Spanish by Basilio Gimo, David Ker, illustrated by Carol Liddiment and translated by Karina Vásquez. It is written for ages 5–8 (Grades 1–2) and is graded as Level 2 · First sentences, so it works as a read-aloud for little ones and as practice for children learning to read in Spanish. The book comes from Global Storybooks and is shared under an open CC BY 3.0 licence, which is why it is free to read. The same story is available in 31 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).
How it begins
Un día, el Conejo estaba caminando por la ribera. El Hipopótamo estaba allí también, paseando y comiendo un poco de césped verde y rico. El Hipopótamo no vio que el Conejo estaba allí y le pisó su patita sin querer.…Opening lines quoted from the openly licensed book (CC BY 3.0).
This story in other languages
Reading the same story in two languages helps bilingual children connect words they already know. “¿Por qué los hipopótamos no tienen pelo?” is also available in:
- Afrikaans · Hoekom seekoeie nie hare het nie
- Alur · The lembe muketho rau yuk wiye ope
- Ateso · Inyobo eyinakit imiriai emameete kede ka ajul?
- Bemba · Ico imfubu ishakwatila umushishi
- Jamaican Creole · Wa mek Ipo no av no ier
- Kaonde · Kyabujila Byovwe Kwikala Nabooya
- Khoekhoegowab · ǃKhaon ǀûna ūhâba tama ǃaromas
- Kimaasai · Káínyoo peê méáta olmákau ilpápít
- Kiswahili · Kwa nini Viboko Hawana Nywele
- Luganda · Lwaki Envubu tezirina bwoya
- Lugbarati (official orthography) · Ròbí yɨ mà ‘bɨ́ko yo à’dɨ e’yósɨ̀à rɨ̀
- Lukhonzo · Habwaki Eyisere siyiwite Bweya
- Lumasaaba · Lwasiina tsifubu tsitamba bubwoya
- Lunda · Mulon’gadi anzovu chiyabulilawu insuki?
- Lusoga · Lwaki Wanvubu Azira Bwoya
- Luvale · Chahonesa nguvu kupwa naungona
- Ma'di · Ra Robi olujo biako rii adu?
- Mauritian Creole · Kifer ban ipopotam pena pwal ?
- Nyanja · Ncifukwa Ciani Mvuu zilibe Tsitsi
- Oshikwanyama · Omolwashike ondjabameva ihe na olududi
- Oshindonga · Omolwashike oondjambameya dhaa na omafufu
- Otjiherero · Ongwaye ozonḓuu tji ze hi na omainya
- Rutooro · Habwaki Ensere Tizigira Bwoya?
- Sesotho · Hobaneng dikubu di se na moriri
- Somali · Waa maxay sababta aysan jeerta ulahayn timo
- Swati · Kungani imvubu ingena tinwele
- Tonga · Civwubwe Ncatajisi Boya
- Tswana · Goreng bokubu ba sena moriri
- Turkana · Nyonte Emakar Epir Ng’Itim
- Xhosa · Kutheni iiMvubu Zingenaboya Nje
- Zulu · Kungani umvubu engena zinwele?
Reading together in Spanish
- Read it aloud first, pointing at the pictures; then let your child “read” the pictures back to you.
- Ask open questions: what happened, how did the character feel, what would you do?
- Growing up with two languages? Talk about the story in whichever language feels easiest — the understanding carries over.
More free books in Spanish
Contando animales
Dos
Niños de cera
Un hombre muy alto
El día que dejé mi casa para irme a la ciudad
De vacaciones con la abuela
El cocodrilo hambriento
Cocinando
See all 40 free Spanish books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “¿Por qué los hipopótamos no tienen pelo?” free to read?
Yes. “¿Por qué los hipopótamos no tienen pelo?” is free to read online in Pagine on any phone, tablet or computer — no payment and nothing to download. It is openly licensed (CC BY 3.0).
What language is “¿Por qué los hipopótamos no tienen pelo?” in?
It is written in Spanish. Pagine has 40 free children’s books in Spanish.
What age is “¿Por qué los hipopótamos no tienen pelo?” for?
It is best for ages 5–8 (Level 2 · First sentences). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “¿Por qué los hipopótamos no tienen pelo?” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in Kiswahili, Kimaasai, Turkana, Somali, Zulu, Xhosa and more.
Who wrote “¿Por qué los hipopótamos no tienen pelo?”?
“¿Por qué los hipopótamos no tienen pelo?” was written by Basilio Gimo, David Ker and illustrated by Carol Liddiment; the Spanish translation is by Karina Vásquez.
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Get the free app →Credits: ¿Por qué los hipopótamos no tienen pelo? — Written by Basilio Gimo, David Ker; Illustrated by Carol Liddiment; Translated by Karina Vásquez; Read by Áurea Vericat. Spanish, Level 2. From Global Storybooks (global-asp.github.io/storybooks-dc), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=6160). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026