Hippo No Rhino - Alex Toys Author:Jeff Newman From School Library Journal — 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. Final... more »ly, 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 Copyright (c) Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.« less