Stomp! by Stephanie Calmenson is a part of the Ready-to-Read collection for young emergent readers. A hippopotamus named Ziggy and a raccoon named Zak want to go to the Stomp City Show, but the train is late, the bus is full, the bike pops a tire, and when they finally arrive, the show is sold out! Ziggy is mad enough to stomp—until the Statue of Liberty gives him breathing instructions to help calm him down. Once Ziggy is calm, the two characters follow a beat to join in on a party in the park. 

This is a humorous fast paced story that will engage those early readers. The two main characters Ziggy and Zak are fun and entertaining. Easy words, fun rhymes, and a lesson on how to stay calm by counting to ten all make for an exciting adventure. Baptiste Amsallem’s illustrations of ink and watercolor clearly share the emotions of the characters.