Rhinos Don't Eat Pancakes

March 1, 2015
A purple rhino moves in and the adults are oblivious. What's a kid to do?Daisy's parents never listen to her anyway. So when she tries to point out to Mom and Dad that a huge, purple rhinoceros is strolling into the kitchen, chomping a pancake, and heading upstairs, they mishear and dismiss her. The creature makes himself at home. He hangs out in the yard; he keeps Daisy company while she dons her roller skates; he even sits on the toilet. Steadfast Daisy, unalarmed, decides that since her parents are too busy to pay attention to her, she'll talk to the rhino instead. They become fast friends. Ogilvie uses pencil, pastel, ink, paint, monoprint, and digital tools to create lighthearted illustrations full of loose lines, enlivening the matter-of-fact, sometimes-bland text. Fanciful colors, overlaps of media, and colorings-in that escape their outlines make for a 1970s vibe. Humor and sadness blend: the rhino's single tear is poignant as he expresses his longing to go home ("a million miles away"), but Daisy's possible solutions include a hot air balloon and a bicycle, rejected because "the helmet would never fit." Only outside proof of the rhino's existence conquers Daisy's parents' denial, and the text dulls as Daisy reconnects with them, but the last page upticks in wit. Amusing and whimsical. (Picture book. 3-6)

April 15, 2015
Preschool-G Daisy's parents are awfully busy. So busy, in fact, that they don't notice the huge purple rhino that tromps into their kitchen, snaps up a pancake, and makes himself at home. Nor do they pay attention when Daisy tries to tell them there's a huge rhino in their house. Luckily for Daisy, Rhino is not busy at all and he loves to listen. When her parents finally wonder about the missing pancakes, and Daisy tells them about her pachyderm pal, they hoot with laughter and take her to the zoo to show her a real rhino. Only, the zoo's rhino, who happens to be purple and loves pancakes, is missing. A quick trip home reveals the truth, and Daisy and her sheepish parents help the rhino get back to his real home, Africa. Ogilvie's loose, sketchy illustrations, full of loopy streaks of colored pencil and pastel in a saturated palette, are charmingly childlike and add to the droll atmosphere. As much a cautionary tale for parents as a giddy yarn for kiddos, this will make for an entertaining read-aloud.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)