Rhymoceros

Reprising the format of 2012’s Hippopposites, Coat uses a denim-colored rhinoceros to demonstrate more than a dozen pairs of rhyming words and phrases. Setting the rhino against minimal backdrops keeps the focus on how Coat alters the animal’s simple graphic shape: brown fuzz makes the rhino “furry,” while digital manipulation turns its outline “blurry.” Some pairings hint at cause-and-effect relationships (a rain “shower” appears opposite the rhino holding a pink “flower,” and a lemon tree creates “shade” while its fruit makes “lemonade”). Like its predecessor, this is a wide-ranging, stylish, and witty introduction to a key concept. Ages 2–4. (Mar.)