A kid gets a rhinoceros as a pet. A rhinoceros expert tells him that rhinos only do two tricks: pop balloons and poke holes in kites. During a robbery, the rhino pops and pokes and saves the day. Cartoonist Agee's wry, understated paintings and a relaxed, spacious page design--along with the text's tough-as-rhino-hide structure--provide great durability for multiple retellings.

PreS-Gr 1 After buying a pet rhinoceros, a young boy wonders if he has made a poor choice. His new pet doesn't chase, fetch, or do any other tricks. A consultation with an expert reveals that rhinos only do two things"pop balloons and poke holes in kites." A trip to the park where kites and balloons abound still doesn't elicit a response from the creature. Just as the boy decides he should have bought a hippo, he sees a bank heist with the robbers fleeing by glider kite and hot-air balloon, and the boy sics his rhino on the airborne thieves. In the satisfying conclusion, the pachyderm punctures the getaway crafts, landing the perps in police custody, and the satisfied boy realizes that he is the proud owner of a flying rhino. The cartoon illustrations feature muted colors, clean strong lines, and a generous use of space to focus the action. The twist at the end of this everyday fantasy will delight kids and may have them asking for a rhino of their own. Marge Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI

On this picture book's title page, a young boy enters an exotic pet shop and purchases a rhinoceros. Unfortunately, his new, well-mannered pet disappoints. He doesn't chase sticks. He doesn't roll over. He doesn't even poop on the rug. An expert explains that rhinos only pop balloons and poke holes in kites. When the boy and the rhino encounter a pair of robbers on a bank heist getaway, one in a balloon and the other on a kite, things look up. Agee's "just the facts" telling maximizes the humor with its deadpan delivery. The bright, flat, comic-style illustrations, with thick black outlines and simplified shapes, add to the sense of deceptive simplicity and lay the groundwork for the book's final visual punch line. This will work fine in a preschool storytime, but it offers something deeper for the more refined comic sensibilities of the second-grade set.

What can a pet rhinoceros do? Not a lot, unless it has hidden talents. A boy looks in the window of an exotic pet store, enters the shop and chooses a rhinoceros. He's a nice quiet pet and doesn't cause any problems, but he doesn't do any regular pet things, either. No rolling over or fetching. According to an expert, he should be able to pop balloons and poke holes in kites, but a test run in the park is a dud. Did the boy get a lemon? Should he trade him in for a hippo? A series of mad events follows, in which robbers flee the scene of the crime in, you guessed it, balloons and kites, and our hero rhino saves the day. This special pet can fly, too!  An improbable tale for sure, but Agee strikes just the right note. He tells it with an absolutely straight face in simple unadorned language that will have readers laughing out loud at the antics. The clever format begins the action before the title page, in a silent prelude to the narration. The heavily outlined cartoons are sharp and brightly colored and sprawl across the pages in perfect harmony with the text. Young readers might very well ask for a pet rhino of their own. Lighthearted fun as a read-aloud or read-alone. (Picture book. 3-7)