My Rhinoceros

A young boy has high hopes when he buys a rhinoceros at the exotic pet shop. At first, the boy doesn’t mind that his quiet, shy pet prefers to stay in the garden and keep to himself. After a while, however, he feels disappointed that the animal shows no interest in chasing balls, sticks or frisbees, and won’t even roll over. He consults an expert, who explains that rhinos only really do two things: pop balloons and poke holes in kites. As his rhino shows no interest in either balloons or kites, the boy begins to wonder if he should have bought a hippopotamus instead. Thankfully, the rhinoceros reveals some remarkable, hidden talents when he is called on to apprehend two bank robbers.

The sparse text is accompanied by distinctive, full-page illustrations, which combine blocks of muted colour with bold outlines. This quirky tale is infused with subtle humour and demonstrates that even the most sedate of creatures can be full of surprises.

Watch the interview with Jon Agee here or read along with My Rhinoceros below: