Ricky the Rhino — A conservation story kids can walk through
Henry Ugo
Verified
Ricky the Rhino, and the trail that brought him home
Children's conservation website
Role: Design, animation & development
Platform: Framer + CMS
Timeline: Two weeks
Client: Dr. Scott Darger
A scroll-told adventure that turns the last page of a picture book into a living world, teaching children about wildlife corridors without ever sounding like a lesson.
The project
A book that ends with a question
Ricky Finds His Friends is a picture book by veterinarian Dr. Scott Darger, written to introduce young children to conservation. On its final page, a QR code invites the reader to "join Ricky's team." The website is what waits on the other side of that scan.
The brief was deceptively simple: build a mobile-friendly page that continues Ricky's story and points families toward real conservation work. The harder truth underneath it was that a single screen had to win over two very different people at once, and most children's book sites lose one to keep the other.
The challenge
Two readers, one screen
The child — wants to stay in the story
Fresh from the book, a four to eight year old needs delight and movement, a character that feels alive enough to keep exploring. Anything that reads as homework loses them in seconds.
The grown-up — wants to know it's real
The parent holding the phone needs to trust the mission: that the conservation message is genuine, age-appropriate, and worth their support. Too playful and it reads as thin.
The book already did the hardest part. It taught habitat fragmentation without ever naming it, through a rhino who simply couldn't reach his friends.
The approach
Let the story carry the lesson
Rather than fight the two audiences, I gave the page a single emotional arc borrowed straight from the book, and let each reader take what they needed from it. The child follows the feeling; the parent finds the substance layered quietly beneath.
1. Arrive back in Ricky's world
The scan is rewarded instantly. The book's opening replays as a scroll-driven animation, pulling the reader straight back into the savanna and stopping on the story's emotional hook.
2. Follow the trail
A hand-drawn path winds across the screen as the reader learns what people built to help Ricky reach his friends, fences down, tunnels dug, a trail made. The resolution the book withholds arrives here.
3. Discover it's real
Ricky turns to the reader: the path that saved him is a real thing, called a wildlife corridor. The story quietly becomes the lesson, and the lesson becomes the mission.
4. Join the team
The child earns a badge; the parent finds a calm, clearly separated path to learn more and support the cause, without the story ever shifting into a sales pitch.
What's inside
Built for delight, and for the long run
Scroll-told story
The book's opening pages animate as you scroll, so the reader controls the pace of Ricky's world.
Join Ricky's Team quiz
A short, playful quiz turns passive reading into participation, and ends with a badge to earn.
A calm layer for grown-ups
Conservation facts, plain explanations, and clear routes to get involved, kept out of the child's way.
Editable without code
A CMS lets the client add new books, facts and pages themselves, no developer required.
Warm, painterly detail
Ambient savanna sound, a diagonal rainfall scene, and motion tuned to feel hand-made, not templated.
Mobile-first by default
Designed for the phone that scans the code, then adapted so it holds up on tablet and desktop.
The outcome
A launchable first chapter
What started as a one-week landing page grew, with the client's blessing, into a phased plan: a rich, launchable site now, with a fully 3D interactive version mapped out as a future chapter. The site is built to hold a whole series as more Ricky books arrive.
2 — audiences served by one screen, child and parent
1 — CMS the client runs entirely on their own
∞ — room to grow, built for the next book and beyond
"It looks amazing. Love it. Really good work."
Dr. Scott Darger, Author, Ricky Finds His Friends
Have a story that needs a world?
I build character-led sites that make people feel something first
From picture-book worlds to product launches, I design and build experiences in Framer, Rive and code.
[See more work → henryugo.com]
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What the client had to say
Henry was amazing to work with. He was excellent with his communication. Discussed all of our options in detail and let us decide the best path forward. All work exceeded expectations! We would definitely work with him again.
Scott Darger
Aug 13, 2026, Client
Posted Aug 14, 2026
I designed and built a scroll-told adventure in Framer that teaches kids about wildlife corridors through Ricky's journey, delighting children and parents.
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Timeline
Jul 20, 2026 - Aug 13, 2026
