Overview

When Rita's mum refuses to get her a pet, Rita goes to the zoo and soon returns with a rhinoceros in tow. But keeping a pet rhino a secret in a small apartment and taking care of him, prove to be much trickier than she ever imagined! This is a hilarious take on the responsibility of pet ownership.

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9781467763158

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Reviews

This extended 'What if?' fantasy follows, in hilarious detail, what would happen if a rhinoceros lived in a modern apartment building. Rita is a little girl who lives in a city and desperately wants a pet. Her mother refuses and, in a nice bit of foreshadowing, says that pets are 'stinky, greedy things' that have to be cleaned up after. Rita, undeterred and thinking big, visits the city zoo, has a brief chat with a rhinoceros, and convinces him to follow her home. Much of the comedy centers on the need to hide an animal as big as a tank: Rita disguises the rhino with her hat and jacket for a walk through the city streets, and covers his bulk with a tiny blanket in her bedroom. Unfortunately, it isn't easy carting rhino poop outside every day or, in the case of the rhino, pretending to be playground equipment. Finally, it gets too much for them both, but the author finds a lovely way to continue their friendship. Ross' playful, ink-and-watercolor illustrations bring to mind Quentin Blake or Sempe's urban New Yorker covers, but with a bulky rhino at center-stage. Sure to charm, fans of Rita's Rhino will want to check out other out-sized comedies, like Bernard Waber's Lyle, Lyle Crocodile (1973) and Ciara Gavin's Room for Bear (2015). starred, Booklist -- Journal

"""Ross' playful, ink-and-watercolor illustrations bring to mind Quentin Blake or Semp�'s urban New Yorker covers, but with a bulky rhino at center-stage. Sure to charm....""―starred, Booklist -- (4/1/2015 12:00:00 AM)"

This extended 'What if?' fantasy follows, in hilarious detail, what would happen if a rhinoceros lived in a modern apartment building. Rita is a little girl who lives in a city and desperately wants a pet. Her mother refuses and, in a nice bit of foreshadowing, says that pets are 'stinky, greedy things' that have to be cleaned up after. Rita, undeterred and thinking big, visits the city zoo, has a brief chat with a rhinoceros, and convinces him to follow her home. Much of the comedy centers on the need to hide an animal as big as a tank: Rita disguises the rhino with her hat and jacket for a walk through the city streets, and covers his bulk with a tiny blanket in her bedroom. Unfortunately, it isn't easy carting rhino poop outside every day or, in the case of the rhino, pretending to be playground equipment. Finally, it gets too much for them both, but the author finds a lovely way to continue their friendship. Ross' playful, ink-and-watercolor illustrations bring to mind Quentin Blake or Semp 's urban New Yorker covers, but with a bulky rhino at center-stage. Sure to charm, fans of Rita's Rhino will want to check out other out-sized comedies, like Bernard Waber's Lyle, Lyle Crocodile (1973) and Ciara Gavin's Room for Bear (2015). starred, Booklist --Journal

Author Information

Tony Ross has been illustrating books for over 40 years, and has been published all over the world. He has been named the best-selling illustrator in the UK three years in a row. He lives in Macclesfield, England. Tony Ross has been illustrating books for over 40 years, and has been published all over the world. He has been named the best-selling illustrator in the UK three years in a row. He lives in Macclesfield, England.

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