Kind of an odd title, isn’t it? It’s not like Pop and the kids are large players in the book. They only appear in a few illustrations, and the whole hopping upon pop scene takes up a mere two pages of the whole book. So why does the title give top billing to such a minor moment in the book?

We can’t say for certain, but we’ve sleuthed through the poem and come up with a couple of reasons that might fit.

For starters, Hop on Pop embodies the spirit of the poem. We have two simple words that rhyme and bring a fun and whimsical image to mind (assuming you aren’t the pop, of course). You also get to have that great picture of the children bouncing on their father’s tubby-tummy right on the cover. The kids having fun on the cover illustration hints at the spirit of the book.

Finally, Hop on Pop features three simple words. Children will learn to say and read these words at a very young age, meaning they can ask for the book by name or find it on the bookshelf themselves, leaving both children and parents proud of such an accomplishment. And those are just our main reasons. We’re sure there are several more waiting to be discovered by many an intrepid reader.

Could the poem have been titled something else? Sure. It could have been Pup is Up or They Call Him Pat or whatever. But Hop on Pop just kind of feels right. Right? Right.