Author Anitha Rao-Robinson • Illustrator Karen Patkau
Pajama Press 2020
Ages 4-7

Tetenya and his mother have found Faru, a baby rhinoceros, alone on the savannah. They know that rhino herds will adopt orphaned infants, but finding the rangers who protect local herds may be a long and risky prospect—there are poachers lurking about the landscape. Undaunted, Tetenya sets out, leading Faru past giraffes CHOMP-CHOMPING on acacia leaves, amongst vervet monkeys SLURP-SLURPING sweet fruits, and around guinea fowl SCRITCH-SCRITCHING the earth for seeds. Suddenly, danger is upon them: two poachers are coming near. There are only seconds to spare, and Tetenya has nothing but his wits and a handful of berries to help him.

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REVIEWS
• Fiction and nonfiction meet as a boy seeks to save an orphaned rhino. … Tetenya takes Faru into the savanna to search for a crash of rhinos to adopt Faru, but on their way, they encounter two hunters who kill rhinos for their valuable horns. … This picture book offers a colorful portrayal of a gentle rhino and a boy who cares for him and helps him survive. Readers will encounter many other animals throughout the savanna in Patkau’s illustrations, including egrets, giraffes, an ostrich, guinea fowl, and vervet monkeys…The backmatter offers insightful details on the poaching of rhinos, their endangered status, conservation efforts to save them … A gentle story that helps children understand why wildlife conservation matters and why they should care. – Kirkus Review

• … Patkau’s bright digital illustrations show the greens, golds, and browns of the savanna and accurately portray the South African wildlife, making them easy for young readers to recognize. Rao-Robinson’s plot is predictably heartwarming and the text fun to read as listeners can stomp, slurp, and crash through the savanna along with Faru. … Having wide appeal, this story can introduce a range of topics, from adoption to African animals to endangered species. Young listeners will enjoy the introductory trek through the savanna and cheer when Faru finds a family.– School Library Journal

• … The story follows classic-picture-book structure for a while, … but the calm and playful interlude is suddenly interrupted by the machete-wielding poachers. Tetenya thinks quickly to figure out a way of using the berries to save Faru, and the story comes to a satisfying conclusion. Patkau’s digital illustrations use shadows, reflections, and bright colors against the greens and browns of the savannah to make the figures pop. The presence of an armed ranger guarding the rhinos underscores the reality of protecting creatures from poachers, as described in an appended note. But it is the warm relationship between Tetenya and Faru, and the young boys’ bravery, that children will most likely remember. – Horn Book Magazine

• Anitha Rao-Robinson’s text evokes the camaraderie of rhino and boy in their companionable activities, whether it be collecting waterberries or hiking or resting and it’s Karen Patkau’s extraordinary digitally-rendered art that takes us to the savannah. Whether conjuring the acacia and jackalberry trees or the wildlife of Fatu and Tetenya’s home or the warmth of the grasslands habitat with her organic shapes and earthy colours, Karen Patkau’s illustrations take young readers to a land where a rhino can be protected by a boy and the bad guys can be thwarted by a clever child and a handful of berries.– CanLit for LittleCanadians

• Beautifully written and illustrated, A Family for Faru is a most worthwhile addition to library collections. – Recommended – Canadian Materials

• … a touching picture book that combines a good story with, at the back of the book, a section pertaining to the plight of the endangered rhinoceros. The inspiration for the story involves a way that groups are researching that makes these incredible animals of no value to poachers. Excellent illustrations complement the story. – Postmedia