Evie and Rhino by Neridah McMullin. Illus. by Astred Hicks

Every now and then, a book is published that is just a gorgeous, warm and beautifully written story - one that you would give to your children or grandchildren. Evie and Rhino, by Neridah McMullan first published in 2022, is one of those books.

Combining history with an imaginative story, McMullan weaves a story around the real-life shipwreck of the steamship SS Bancoora at Breamlea in SW Victoria in 1891. The ship was headed for Melbourne from Calcutta carrying tea, rice, tapioca, jute, sugar and exotic animals bound for Melbourne Zoo. It was wrecked on treacherous reefs during a storm as it rounded Cape Otway. Living in a crumbling once well-loved grand old home near the beach where the ship founded lives ten-year-old Evie and her grandfather. Both are bereft - grieving - and the desolation of their house is symbolic of the inner grief of the two occupants. Roaming on the dunes after a mighty storm, Evie comes upon a rhinoceros that has been washed ashore from the wreck of the SS Bancoora. 

And so begins an absolute love story. Evie, so awash with grief at the death of her parents, is mute. Rhino has been wrenched from his natural home and is equally bereft. These two beings - the blonde headed child and the armor plated rhino with the softest, kindest heart recognize each other’s souls. This story is imbued with love. The rambling old house is filled with warm domestic interchanges and the aroma of cook's apple pie (recipe included). The characters are all well developed and very likeable. The stables and outlying farm buildings are populated by friendly cows, hens and dogs - all of them friends of Rhino and of Evie. The surrounding countryside is natural SW Victorian land where Evie and Rhino are free to roam.

There is the question of locking exotic animals up in zoos. There is the impending threat of Rhino being taken away by the Royal Zoological Society who are on their way to collect him and there is the power of friendship that can perhaps restore everything to rights.  Written in present tense by an omniscient author, there is a sense of immediacy for the reader. The rawness of emotion, the dialogue and the action are fresh and immediate.The illustrations by Astred Hicks are scattered throughout the book and complement the gentle nature of the story with equally gentle sketches of comforting objects: shells, a bucket of fresh milk, fresh eggs, a pile of books, a hen, a mixing bowl and spoon and of course Evie and Rhino. 

McMullin has previously written Drover and Fabish - The horse that braved a bushfire - the latter being shortlisted for CBCA Book of the Year in 2017. It would not be at all surprising if Evie and Rhino is seen on future nomination lists.

Highly recommended.

Themes: Animal captivity, Australian shipwrecks, Selective mutism, Farms, Grief, Friendship, Love.

Wendy Jeffrey