RHINOS WHO PLAY BASEBALL

A team of brightly uniformed rhinos plays baseball against a rival team of alligators. Every cliché in baseball is used to describe the action, and that, of course, is the point of the whole exercise. They “throw heat,” hit “a line drive straight up the alley,” and “reach for a shoestring catch.” Mammano, whose rhinos have similarly surfed, skateboarded, snowboarded, and played soccer, employs the jargon in a fairly coherent account, from taking the field to winning the game in the bottom of the ninth. A glossary of “catch phrases” defines every term used in the text. However the colorful, buoyant illustrations are the key to the work’s success. These rhinos can move. They stretch, leap, and swing, tongues out of their mouths in intense concentration. Although every rhino has an identical gray rectangular shape, always shown in profile, a twist of a line here, a dot there, and he can display disappointment or joy. The flower-filled field and the swirling patterns in the sandy base paths add depth and texture. A slight work, but a joyful introduction to the language of a beloved game. (Picture book. 6-9)