Hippo! No, Rhino

In the tradition of "Good Night, Gorilla," this hilarious and almost wordless story about a rhinoceros being mistaken for a hippopotamus is told in charming and humorous illustrations and dialogue. Full color.

"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)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

When a careless worker places the wrong sign near a rhinoceros's cage, zoo visitors continually mistake the frustrated rhino for a hippopotamus, until a young boy comes along who can help.