A Crash of Rhinos

October 26, 2015
Playing off the double meanings of collective nouns, newcomers Danylyshyn and Lomp place anthropomorphized animals in lively scenes. A “band” of gorillas performs on stage, its lead singer an Elvis lookalike (“Jumping and jiving like rock ’n’ roll kings,/ in trees or on stage, they know how to swing”). Other collectives include a “committee” of necktie-wearing vultures sitting around a conference table, an athletic “run” of salmon, and a “pride” of lions having their manes and claws done at a salon. While Danylyshyn’s rhymes can get a bit strained (during the vultures’ meeting, “With hooked bill and hunched-over back,/ they vote on what’s next, dinner or snack”), Lomp’s digital illustrations bring an appealing, Golden Books–style retro fun to the pages. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Christopher Hermelin, Fischer-Harbage Agency, Illustrator’s agency: Bright Agency.

October 15, 2015
Danylyshyn and Lomp use rhyming verse, wordplay, and the mnemonic device of associating a word with a silly, memorable picture to introduce and help children remember the names of groups of animals. "A group of rhinos is called a CRASH, / which happens sometimes in a flash. / Honking their horns, always hurrying to arrive, / with such poor eyesight they really shouldn't drive." A four-way intersection on the African savanna finds 10 dismayed or angry rhinos stranded, all involved in some sort of traffic altercation and most wearing glasses. The run of salmon all sport numbered race bibs on their bellies, the band of gorillas plays to an adoring crowd, and the committee of vultures surrounds a boardroom table, wearing ties and trying to decide between dinner and snacks. Not all of Lomp's digital illustrations are as memorable as these, though. The pride of lions is pictured in a beauty salon, the gaze of raccoons shows a group of raccoons robbing the pies from a windowsill, their eyes blank and staring, and the zeal of zebras are depicted as spies. The verse is also weak in both rhythm and rhyme, many times not scanning well when read aloud. Betsy R. Rosenthal's An Ambush of Tigers, illustrated by Jago (2015), is a much better--and more memorable--choice than this effort. (Picture book. 4-8)

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January 1, 2016

K-Gr 2-While children will be familiar with such terms as a school of fish and a flock of birds, they will be surprised and amused by the unusual names given to other animal groups. Through a smoothly flowing rhyming text, readers are introduced to a sleuth of bears, a cry of hounds, a tower of giraffes, etc. The vivid digitally rendered illustrations take the terms literally, so the bears are dressed like Sherlock Holmes, and the committee of vultures are seated at a boardroom table listening to a presentation. Other humorous details abound. VERDICT While not an essential purchase, this colorful introduction to collective nouns should have broad child appeal and is guaranteed not to be a shelf-sitter.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

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