About Patricia the Hippo
Patricia was a young hippo that lived with her family on the banks of Lake Victoria, near the source of the Nile at the town of Jinja, shortly after the Second World War. But our heroine wasn’t any ordinary hippo. She could understand what humans say and she could read. She was also bright purple!
After a meeting with the mystical 'Lake Spirit,' Patricia was told she had been chosen to bring harmony between the animals that lived in the region and the humans that sought to rebuild the local economy, greatly affecting the local habitat. As Patricia finds her confidence, she has to convince the animals to change their mindset and trust some of the humans to guarantee a safe future and a way to live in unity.
The stories are about growing up, being different and being brave. Life can be deadly, but also full of love, even if there is much misunderstanding between the animals and the humans. It might just take a purple hippo like Patricia to restore the balance, as the machines of man re-mould the old world of the 'Lake Spirit'.
You can follow the adventures of Patricia and her friends in a series of ten books. Suitable for children aged 6-12.
The inspiration for Patricia the Hippo came from a visit to Buyala Primary School run by the Jinja Educational Trust (JET) in Uganda at the end of October, 2014. Drawing a hippo on an old school blackboard, I asked the small, assembled faces, what would be the best name for our would-be hero?
A small voice piped up saying "Pat".
"Pat?" I said. "Is that Patricia?" "Yes," came the reply.
"Is that your name?" I asked. "Yes," she replied once more.
"Really? Well we will see what adventures Patricia can have… at the source of the Nile."
The rest is history.
David Jackson