“The concept for Waleed came together as I was thinking about stories I would like to tell my grandchildren that would address how to handle certain emotions and overcome obstacles,” says Denis. “A seemingly emaciated hippopotamus, opposite the robust form of his peers, became an easy conduit for those fables dealing with feelings of otherness. Swahili is an officially recognized language in Tanzania, where the hippo character originates. ‘Waleed,’ in Swahili, means ‘he who hides.’ Waleed became the perfect name for this introverted character afraid of his own shadow.”

• Author Denis J. LaComb