The Secret Rhino Society
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
“This engaging romp will be a great way to initiate conversations about diversity, tolerance, and acceptance.”—Booklist (starred review)
In the spirit of favorites like Stick & Stone and Spoon this warmhearted and hilarious picture book tells the story of a highly unusual group of friends and is stunningly illustrated by Samantha Cotterill.
Meet Hudson, a hippo. Fran, an earthworm. And Jean, a lightbulb.
They have one thing in common: a profound appreciation for rhinos. So, they form a Secret Rhino Appreciation Society, in which a key activity it wearing paper horns. (Sometimes this results in a fire. That’s what happens when a lightbulb wears a paper horn.) But when they meet their first real, live rhino and ask her to do rhino-y things, she doesn’t want to charge or snort—she’s a gardener! She is not what the society expected, but can they learn to appreciate her for who she is?
This funny, character-driven story explores themes of friendship, expectations, and prejudice.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In debut author Jacobs's story, Hudson the hippo, Fran the earthworm, and Jean the light bulb have a major thing for rhinos: they regard one at a movie theater, form a society, and erect a ramshackle clubhouse where they gather wearing paper horns. In photographed three-dimensional scenes, drawn and assembled by hand, Cotterill (This Beach Is Loud!) both conveys her protagonists' giddy enthusiasm and immerses readers in settings where the trio gathers to share and nurture their passion. The impressive theater appears replete with balconies, rows of red seats, and a proscenium stage; the house is packed with diverting textiles. The story reaches beyond a celebration of fandom in its second half, when the group meets a real live rhino named Ivy, a brightly dressed gardener who doesn't charge, snort, or sharpen her horns. "You are just not what we expected a rhinoceros to be," a flummoxed Hudson tells her, to which Ivy smartly rejoins: "I'm sorry you're disappointed." The sweet wrap-up feels somewhat off-course, involving a new group endeavor, but the story's point is well made: it's not up to a member of a group (or species) to conform to others' expectations. Ages 4 8.
