Rhino Rumpus

Bedtime preparations prove anything but restful for three rhino siblings in this slice-of-life story from the team behind Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That (2014). Mama rhino is the voice of reason as Allenby describes the household chaos in rhymes that bound along with her young heroes: “One little rhino making faces./ Two little rhinos leave their places./ Three little rhinos butting heads./ Little rhinos, in your beds!” Working in pencil crayon, Anderson gives the rhinos human routines and accessories (one of the babies wears a hair bow, and Mama has a set of pearls), and she plays up the physical comedy of their rambunctiousness, whether it’s a rhino sending food and drink flying during dinner or a bathtub pileup that leaves “one little rhino feeling squashed.” Allenby interrupts her rhymes with a handful of sound effects (“Fidget fuss frump/ Huff harrumph”), as well as a brief bedtime song that helps shift the story’s mood to one of calm. It’s a playful celebration of both the commotion of daily life and the love among members of a family. Ages 2–4. (Nov.)