Little Rhino Lost
Age 3+
Picture Storybooks
A little girl's encounter with a baby rhino inspires the greening of her city neighbourhood.
Little Rhino is lost in the big, crowded city and he's afraid his mummy will never find him, far from home, with no tall trees, yummy leaves or green grass anywhere. Maya wants to help but what can she do to make her home a place that Little Rhino's mummy will come to? Can Maya and everyone around her turn their homes and their city into a welcoming green space, with flowers, plants and trees - somewhere a little rhinoceros could call home? This enchanting story shows how kindness, determination and community spirit can come together to bring about real change and make our cities greener.
Creators
Candy Gourlay is an internationally acclaimed writer of children’s books, whose work is published in many languages across the world. On the Otter-Barry list she is author of Is It A Mermaid? illustrated by Francesca Chessa. Born in the Philippines, Candy now lives in London. She writes, “The last rhinos of Southeast Asia now live in Indonesia, but they are on the brink of extinction. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could make our world a place a baby rhinoceros can call home?”
Jamie Bauza is an illustrator, designer and crafter, based in Manila, Philippines. She is a graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, where she received a Visual Arts Award. In 2018 she attended the Summer Illustration Residency at the School of Visual Arts, New York. Jamie is a member and past president of Ang INK, a Philippine association of artists committed to the creation and promotion of illustration for children.
Reviews
Like many children’s books, the storytelling is straightforward, easy to read for any age. The art by Jamie Bauza is gorgeous—and familiar. I myself saw reflections of my home life and community culture in the warm and colorful illustrations of an urban city in the Philippines.
Bookbed
Little Rhino Lost (Otter-Barry, 2025) is a celebration of our capacity to imagine and from here, we are able to make a change in big and small ways. Like the Rhino who looked for her mother, and the child who walked with her in the journey, the book is a reminder to always persist. And if we are creative enough, we can!
School Librarian in Action
This charming story about determination, kindness, community and environmentalism, is set in the Philippines, the author Candy Gourlay’s home country. Would that urban dwellers be they in Manila, (the city depicted in some of Jamie Bauza’s scenes) or elsewhere in the world, come together in a similar way to help make all our cities greener.
Red Reading Hub
I really enjoyed sharing this book with young children, it engages with them to share in compassion and concern about the rhinos in our world.
Dolphin Book Blog
Jamie Bauza’s pictures pulse with tropical light, through the city tower blocks to the lush jungle Maya creates. Bookwagon loves the message, purpose, positivity and boldness of Little Rhino Lost. We suggest that this picture book is a magnificent choice for reading aloud, discussing, knowing well and taking inspiration from.
Bookwagon
