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Summary
Summary
When the zookeeper puts up thewrong sign outside the rhinoceros's cage, poor rhino isrepeatedly mistaken for a hippopotamus! Children willdelight in identifying the mistake and will sympathizewith the helpless rhinoceros.In the tradition of Good Night, Gorilla, this hilariousand almost wordless story is told in charming andhumorous illustrations and dialogue. Jeff Newman'sstriking art is filled with fun details that inviterepeat readings.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-In a simple scenario, a zookeeper places the wrong sign in front of the rhino pen. Rhino is flabbergasted at the error and tries a variety of means to correct the offending moniker-"Hippo." He even attempts, unsuccessfully, to knock down the sign by using one of the tick birds that perches on his back as a dart. Finally, a young boy acknowledges the problem and quickly fixes it. Newman uses watercolor and gouache, along with pencil, ink, marker, and pastel, to create colorful, graphic-style illustrations. There is little text, and most of the story is delivered through the art. Readers will relate to Rhino's frustration and his inability to effect change. The two tick birds on his back add some emotional interest to the tale as they show empathy for his predicament. Even though the plotline is slight, this simple story requires skill on the part of young readers to construct meaning from the pictures. A clever exercise in promoting visual literacy.-Carol L. MacKay, Forestburg School Library, Alberta, Canada (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this near-wordless book, a sky-blue rhinoceros gets mistaken for another sort of beast. The trouble starts when a groovy long-haired zookeeper, idly whistling and blas? about his job, designates the rhino's stone enclosure with a red arrow reading "Hippo." The rhino, and two leggy purple birds on its shoulder, regard the sign with chagrin. When a society matron, in a dialogue bubble, pinches her nose and says "Hippo," the rhinoceros cries, "No, rhino!/ Fix the sign-o!" Its outbursts scare off several visitors, and the tiny birds fail in their attempt to knock down the sign. Finally a sympathetic boy in a sunny yellow coat-who has noticed the zookeeper's carelessness since the copyright page-quietly sets things right, and the rhino and birds can finally relax. (In the punch line, readers find out the lackadaisical keeper has labeled the unhappy hippopotamus "Porcupine-o.") Newman's (Reginald) full-bleed watercolor spreads emit a '70s retro vibe, with animals and humans pictured in a rainbow of hot colors on clear white pages. His saturated hues of rusty orange, violet, turf green and aquamarine suggest Eric Carle's tissue-paper palette and layering technique. Newman takes the single joke as far as it will go, and youngsters will enjoy being in on it from the beginning. Ages 3-6. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Primary) When clueless zookeeper Randy (who, with his long hair and moustache, looks a bit like a sixties holdout) puts the wrong sign in front of Rhino's enclosure, the temperamental creature can't stand to be mistaken for a hippo. With a minimal text related entirely through signs and speech balloons, Newman's off-beat, color-mad illustrations, in a retro style reminiscent of Roger Duvoisin, tell the bulk of the story. The first victims of Rhino's wrath are a well-heeled elderly couple. She is thin, tall, and blue-skinned; he is puckered up and orangely corpulent with a kelly-green suit and a monocle. Glancing at the sign, madam says (holding her nose), ""Hippo."" Rhino blasts back: ""No, Rhino!"" And, as the two sprint away, leaving purple hat, wig, monocle, and sunglasses behind, he roars: ""Fix the sign-o!"" Rhino (with bright blue, um, hide-o) tries in vain to knock down the offending sign, and he's subjected to further humiliation from a hip young couple (""'Whoa...Hippooo.' 'Nooo... Rhinooo. THAT'S NOT MINE-O!'""). Newman gleefully uses different typefaces, colors, and other graphic elements to signal mood and build tension; there are plenty of details to hunt for during repeat readings. In the end, a sharp-eyed boy puts things right for our distraught friend-though elsewhere Randy is up to his old tricks. But for Rhino, it's all fine-o. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
In this oddball but ultimately tender zoo episode, a clueless keeper carelessly posts a sign identifying a rhino as a hippo--to the rhino's loudly expressed objections. Newman creates a minimally detailed setting, using spatters and splashes of color against plain white backgrounds, so that the red sign and the huge, hugely irritated blue rhino are the main visual elements. After its bellows ("THAT'S NOT MINE-O!") scare off several strangely rendered passersby, the rhino sinks into despondency--until a compassionate lad, having found the proper sign, replaces the other, giving the creature a comforting pat. With wordage so trimmed down that there isn't even a title page, the pictures carry most of the plot and humor, along with the simple pleasure that comes from doing a good deed. Engaging, if mannered. (Picture book. 5-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.