Review of "There's a Rhinoceros in My House!" by Jack DiSanto

Score: 94+/100 (9.4+ out of 10)

Early mornings can be wild... Sometimes, you're trying to sleep, then someone downstairs, outside, or in the room next to you is making a racket! It can sometimes seem like there might be a rhinoceros around!

There's a Rhinoceros in My House! by Jack DiSanto is a cute, light, family-centered children's book with a simple comic premise: a sleepy mom hears a huge crash in the house, assumes there is a rhinoceros stomping around downstairs, and then gradually discovers that the “rhinoceros” is really just her loud husband making breakfast.

Along the way, the book turns ordinary morning sounds into exaggerated chaos, with the “rhinoceros” thudding, scraping, flipping pancakes, vacuuming, and washing dishes before the joke is finally revealed when Mom puts on her glasses and sees Dad holding a stack of pancakes.

While relatively simple in story, characters, and premise, this book works in so many ways!

First of all, it's relatable. Like we alluded to in the introduction, we've all been there. We've all been woken up by someone who decides to be a loud "rhino" in and around the house. So, it's actually easy to follow and understand the characters and how they feel, especially the mom who is woken up. It's also easy to relate to the husband, who is just trying to get things done and be a helpful, productive husband while being a bit clumsy and abrasive. We've been there too! It's hard trying to get cooking, cleaning, and daily tasks done when every works and sleeps at odd hours during the day.

These characters are so likable, lovable, and relatable!

Secondly, this book is so humorous and funny. It's impossible not to smile and laugh while reading it. Seriously!

The illustrations of the rhinoceros going around the house doing everyday household tasks (like dusting, cleaning dishes, cooking pancakes, and vacuuming) had us smiling and laughing the whole time.

A ton of credit has to go to illustrator Alana McCarthy for bringing these fun characters to life. Mom's reactions throughout the book are priceless. They range from shock and surprise to glee and contentment. In the afterward, the book actually shows the painstaking process of crafting these scenes and illustrations by hand! It really is nice to see hand-drawn, hand-colored illustrations like this.

We love that the dad isn't portrayed as some hunky hunk with perfect hair, clothes, and a chiseled body. Instead, he's a plain ole' dad with a dad bod, a t-shirt, and pajama pants. That actually just makes us love and relate to him more! He's a normal guy just trying his best, not some superhero with superpowers, not some perfect guy.

The other thing we wanted to briefly touch on is what a great interactive experience this book could be when read to kids. They can engage with the fun/funny rhinoceros as well as the various sounds the book highlights (like "splash" and "clang").

Check it out on Amazon!