Hippochondriac: Humorous Short Story

by Micky Morag

This is the story about a baby hippo that was called Hippochondriac.
He was ABSOLUTELY SURE that he was dying, with every little
thing that came in flying.
This is a book meant for both beginner and advanced hypochondriacs :)

Genres: Humor

86 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 10, 2014

Reviews

[Sheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

From Wikipedia:

Hypochondriasis or hypochondria (sometimes referred to as health phobia or health anxiety) refers to worry about having a serious illness. This debilitating condition is the result of an inaccurate perception of the condition of body or mind despite the absence of an actual medical condition. An individual suffering from hypochondriasis is known as a hypochondriac.

I have been on a complete book buying ban because of my humongous TBR and yet I am able to find ways of getting my hands on free books. What is it with me and hoarding?! I just cannot help, I'm sorry, not really. Well, this e-book got into my hands through one of my daily mailing subscription of free e-books. The title caught my interest as it is clearly a jab at hypochondriacs, named humorly as hippochonriac. So basically, this is an illustrated story book that features a hippo suffering from hypochondriasis. For someone who has some knowledge to the illness hypochondriasis, I was able to appreciate the snapshot of the turmoil and panic an individual suffering from the illness goes through. However, I would say that this book was in shambles. If you picked this up with zero knowledge of the illness, you would pass it off as totally incomprehensible and bizarre. So, in that respect, it is not a good introduction to the illness itself. I also didn't get the humor in the book. I might be dense but I just did not get it. I was confused more than half of the time. Illustrations were also meh. If not for the added empathy bestowed upon me through this book, this would've been a 1 star.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me say this from the start. It looks like a children's book, but it is not. It is an adult humor book.

I guess this type of book isn't my favorite. I sort of got it and laughed pretty loudly at some points. I was even able to think of people in my life to compare to the characters. I was about to not do the review because I didn't know what to say about it other than it was sort of funny and the pictures are great. Then my 17 year old son began to read it when I left it open. I could hear him laughing two rooms away. I was like huh? This book was his cup of tea. His sense of humor is much different then mine. So this is his review:

This book was great. The drawings were funny and went along with the entire book. It even had a lesson in it. No matter what is trying to hold you back you should always be there for a friend. It also kind of made me think of bullying. The Hippo just wanted friends and he found a place he was accepted and loved. I didn't blame him for not wanting to go back to his old home where they treated him like crap.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has a real sense of humor like me. You have to be able to think about it and just not expect everything to pop out at you like my mom does!

I received this book free in return for a review all opinions are my own...and David's.

[Jill H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Hippochondriac" is about a hippo that is a hypochondriac. He thinks he has many sicknesses and that is robbing his life. Any rumors of diseases makes him think he has them also and that causes him fear. He bandages himself up thinking he has been hurt. Nobody wants to hang around him because his life is about being sick. He can't seem to concentrate on anything but his imaginary sicknesses and he feels sorry for himself way too much.

This is a fun book to help children learn what hypochondriacism is. I imagine it happens to different people around us we know, children and adults, and we may even be one ourselves. I think reading this book to children would be a good way to teach the differences with people that think they are sick and have made up imaginary sicknesses in comparison with people that really are sick. I think we can also get so stuck in our real health problems that people do not want to hang around us, even if people do not know we have any. I think it's in our attitudes sometimes. The ending surprised me and I think it will surprise some children too.

I received a copy of this ebook free in exchange for an honest review.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you know any hypochondriacs? I think that my husband would call me one, and I can't believe that I admitted it! As the years have gone by, I believe that I'm less of one than he thinks that I am. I don't tend to self-diagnose myself anymore! Anyhow, back to reviewing the book!

In this short story/e-book by Micky Morag, there is a baby hippo who's a hypochondriac and he really thought that he was dying. The other kid animals aren't allowed to hang around him, due to that they might catch whatever illness or disease he thought that he had. He is friends with a fox who constantly repeat the same phrase multiple times, to the point of being annoying. He meets a little ostrich whose mother kicks Hypochondriac into another land where he's accepted. The little ostrich gets sick, and they want Hippochondriac to come back. He's not real keen on going to where he's not wanted.

I'm going to say that the story was really cute and so were the illustrations. I didn't quite understand the humor part, though.

[Heathyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

They always say "Don't judge a book by its cover" and this book is no exception. It might look like a children's story but I assure you, this book is geared more toward young adult / adult humor. The pictures were geared toward a child while the writing is geared toward a grownup. Its a quirky and well illustrated book with a lot of word play throughout. This is the story about a baby hippo that was called Hippochondriac and he was ABSOLUTELY SURE that he was dying. As a result no one wants to be around him and he looses friends because after all who wants to hang around a person who is negative and and saying that they have all kinds of sickness.

I received a copy of “Hippochondriac” for evaluation purposes. All opinions expressed are still 100% my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this short & very interesting book with an open mind, and while some of the language and humor is fun, the story began to feel forced. The illustrations were fun, but due to the formatting, they can be challenging to read on certain types of readers (I had trouble on my kindle, but it worked well on my tablet). It is important to note, this is NOT a children's story. It is humorous, There were some clever parts with well written sarcasm - I laughed at parts of the story, but there were also parts that did not hold my interest. The author poked fun at not only individuals who seem to 'catch' any illness they hear about, but he also challenged the culture of fear that many people have about contagious illnesses. Humor is very subjective, and while I did find humor in this story I would only rate this book as Okay.

[Shandi Dews · Rating 3 out of 5]

his may look likes a children's book, but it is not...Hippo is a hypochondriac, he thinks that he is dying, and has every virus around.

This book speaks of things like happy pills, and focuses on losing oneself behind the constant worry of being sick. He comes to the aid of an egg, who starts to think the same way he does...everyone wants him gone, but once he leaves they want him to come back, for he is the only one that understands the egg.
Anyone that is a hypochondriac could probably relate to the humor of this book.
This is not really something that I would have picked up on my own, but it was OK, and some of the story was funny.

*I received the item in this post complimentary for review purposes. All opinions found within are purely my own*

[Dynal Roberson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was given a complementary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I read this book twice in the hopes that I was missing something vital the first time. If I did I missed it the second time as well. I just didn't like it. There appeared to be a play on words attempt to be funny such as using the word "Cold" instead of the word "Called" which the first time through I took to be a typo. I went into this book expecting it to be a cute way to explain to my daughter that she wasn't going to die from a stubbed toe. I came out of the book with a headache and really confused about the middle. Maybe you have to have hypochondriac tendencies in order to get this book? I don't know.

[Stephanie Ozuna · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all let me say that personally I don't think this book is for children. I really liked this book. HIPPO-chondriac is this little hippo was is such a hypochondriac. He constantly keeps thinking that he is dying, even when he goes to visit the doctor and learns there is absolutely nothing wrong with him. He is very healthy, but is convinced otherwise. Hippo was a loner and had no friends because of his obsession with being sick. No matter how much advice he got he remained being the same hypochondriac hippo. If you are into books that are a bit different than I would recommend you give it a try.

[Maria Apgar · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Misery Likes Company" is one phase that comes to mind when I read this book. Don’t think it’s a kid’s book; its adult humor. The main character is a Hippo. He believes he’s sick (a hypochondriac). The diseases he believes he has taken over his life. Everyone wants to get away from him. It’s a witty book that makes fun of the situation. It’s a short book for adults who are looking to read something witty and funny.

I have to say that when I read the preview, I was puzzled because the cover indicated it may be a children's book. I don’t usually read these books, but I was given the opportunity to read it for Free so I decided to give it a try. Not Bad

[Angela Lambkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hippochondriac - short humorous Kids story! Great for xpchildren and up!

I liked it a lot, found it a humorous and quirky and very unusual ebook and well illustrated!
I don't believe there was anything had about this ebook! It was a teaching aid to teach
children and others not to become this same way that this main character was living in, in his
life. I recommend this ebook though especially for children but even those older than young
children may just profit from reading it also. I received this ebook for free from a site just for free ebooks.
Very good job Micky! By Angela

[Stacie Wyatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Hippochondriac by Micky Morag, in exchange for honest review. The book was also illustrated by Micky Morag.

The book is about the hippo family. The youngest is named Hippo-Chondriac bccause he always thinks he is dying. The other animals kept their distance, just in case, Hippo causes a pandemic with one of his imaginary illnesses. Hippo was lonely and had no friends.

The book did get a little confusing in the middle when one of the mother animals wanted to teach Hippo a lesson. It appeared Hippo moved into a different story.

[Mihaela Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a funny book for kids and grown-ups alike! Every hypochondriac will get some big belly laughs with this particular hippo. He just knows he is sick...and he just knows he is dying despite the doctor telling him that he is perfectly healthy...

Micky Morag wrote a very unique, intelligent and funny book...the language is witty and easy to comprehend, and the characters are adorable. I highly recommend it :)

[Kelley Henley · Rating 1 out of 5]

No stars

This is a confusing awful children's book about taking pills crapping yourself, illnesses and dying. Bad grammar, illustrations with butts in it. It follows no plot. At one point tranquilizers are put in the characters eggs to make him happy. He showers in a pain pill shower and the book ends with the phrase this is a book worth dying for. Ugh!

[Kai Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

this one earned 3 stars because it was cute. more than anything it rambled without a point to the plot. i agree that it's for adults, not children, but for as cute as it was I'd like it to have a lot i could follow.

[Ga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun. Great art work.

This a smart book. I'd almost label it young adult. The three stars are the result of the difficulty of reading tiny, colored text against the colored backgrounds. The print version is probably the way to go. And worth the read.

[Bookfairy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt this had a rather narrow audience, it doesn't delve deep, and the jokes mostly fell flat for me, it was too cutesy for an adult book, and not well handled to be suitable for children either.