Camping with Unicorns

Phoebe and Her Unicorn #11

by Dana Simpson

Life is never boring when your best friend is a unicorn! The latest installment in this bestselling series is full of mischief, magic and adventure — as well as an important reminder to always stay true to yourself.

School’s out, so Phoebe and her unicorn best friend, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, have the entire summer to play games, visit the pool, and even go camping. Unicorn horns are excellent utensils for roasting things over the campfire, too, even if Marigold prefers toasted apples to s’mores. While exploring in the woods, Phoebe and friends meet a unicorn named Alabaster, who uses a special video game console that’s powered by plants. Throughout her summer adventures, Phoebe learns that being cool isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and that it’s much better to be your true self. It’s all part of the unforgettable experience of Camping with Unicorns.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Comics, Humor, Unicorns, Childrens

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2020

About the author

Dana Claire Simpson grew up in Gig Harbor, Washington, drawing the entire time. She eventually graduated from The Evergreen State College, despite having spent all her time drawing, and not always for credit.

Attempts at doing real work along the way are hardly worth mentioning; the relevant fact is that, from 1998 to 2008, she drew the internet comic strip Ozy and Millie. After winning the Amazon-sponsored Comic Strip Superstar Contest in 2009, Universal Uclick signed her to a development deal for Heavenly Nostrils.

She currently lives in the Seattle area with her tech genius husband and her fairly stupid cat.

Reviews

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s time to hang out with Marigold Heavenly Nostrils’ favourite unicorn (herself, of course!) and her human, Phoebe. Once again it’s summer vacation and there’s so much to do, once Phoebe winds down from school.

Phoebe attempts to teacher Marigold how to lie.

Max and Phoebe play hide and seek, and Phoebe and Marigold play some games where everyone wins. Well, sometimes. Meanwhile Dakota is enjoying all of the perks of being a goblin princess, from the tiara to the luxury of being transported upon her “throne thingy”, complete with cup holders.

After spending so long being frenemies, Phoebe and Dakota decide it’s time to reboot their friendship. I wholeheartedly approve of this development because it means more Dakota! I love Dakota!

Phoebe and Max’s families go camping together. When they’re not roasting marshmallows around the campfire or attracting the local wildlife,

Phoebe, Max and Marigold enjoy nature (and meet a unicorn who is roughing it).

I learned that unicorns look even more adorable when they’re wearing swimsuits and discovered why schools are much more interesting during summer vacation. I tagged along with Marigold as she entertained herself while Phoebe was at school and decided Marigold’s favourite magical loophole is now one of my own favourites. Phoebe’s own loophole was a familiar one.

When I realised this collection would mostly take place during summer vacation I expected to see a rehash of previous summers with Phoebe and Marigold. I’m not sure if it’s just because I needed a unicorn fix but this collection felt really fresh. New characters were introduced and I learned something new about some I’ve known since the first collection.

I hope I don’t have to wait too long for my next magical unicorn fix. I’ll definitely be rereading this collection and most likely revisiting some earlier ones in the meantime.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phoebe is back with Marigold Heavenly Nostrils and their ensemble cast. This edition skewers some cultural icons like "roughing it," absurd fashion trends, art critique, Hallowe'en candy acquisition, and more. The series is growing up with Phoebe and a glossary is included to help kids learn some of the new vocabulary used in the strip. If you haven't read any of this series yet, what are you waiting for? You will not be sorry.

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going through these too fast to keep up with reviewing them. And my memory for individual details isn't holding up. So I may just copy this as the review for those I've read, at least for as long as the quality keeps up. My review of the first should hold up for the rest.

Okay, one note. Phoebe's dad is totally me. He even looks like me since I've grown my hair out. It's uncanny.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's yet another collection of comics featuring Phoebe and her unicorn friend, Marigold. Much of this book is focussed on the summer holidays (unlike many of the others, which feature the school months more heavily).

While this isn't my favourite, it's still entertaining. Fans of the series are sure to be engaged.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing a digital ARC.

[Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phoebe and her unicorn Marigold Heavenly Nostrils are ready to forget their school year schedule and celebrate all things summer with trips to the pool, camping, roasting s'mores (or apples, if you're Marigold), and playing cards.
Familiar faces like Max, Todd, and Dakota and her goblins are featured in several panels. I liked the new development in the "frenemy" relationship between Phoebe and Dakota as Dakota realizes how much she has in common with Phoebe.

I'm a huge fan of the Phoebe and Her Unicorn series and this is another great addition with valuable lessons on friendship and humor both kids and adults can appreciate.

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Camping with Unicorns is scheduled for release on April 7, 2020.

For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com

[Etienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another read in this collection/series. I had a better memory of this series. I remember it to be funnier and find this one cute, had some fun, but not necessarily funny. I remind me a bit (not as great but the style) of the Calvin & Hobbes collection, with the relation between the child and his animal friend, the humor style in short cartoon 3/4 cases stories but it don,t have the biting side that Calvin has, might not be acceptable in our modern world anymore. Not bad, but not has great as Calvin for sure!

[Melissa McShane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, camping. When I was a kid, my family went camping often, probably because there were a lot of us and it was cheaper than Disneyland. (My parents never did take us to Disneyland. I don't know if I feel robbed of an essential childhood experience or grateful not to have gone to a theme park surrounded by my overactive younger siblings.) So this volume of Phoebe and Marigold Heavenly Nostrils' adventures felt particularly charming. I don't know if I've mentioned this in previous reviews, but whenever Marigold responds to something with the word "Unicorn!" (which is always in curly script in the text) it cracks me up. I can't believe I'm coming to the end of what's been published.

[Cass Moskowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received an arc from #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Every new Phoebe book gives me such joy. Each one makes me snicker with every page and I just love how the wit and heart never leaves these books. I hope for many many more in this series.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is a great graphic novel book for children about a unicorn and her best friend who is a girl called Pheoby. This book was quite funny in places and had some great little stories within it.
The illustrations were simple but effective too.

[Flobie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes. This is a kids’ book. My kid friends were reading it so I read it. You should read it too. It is witty and sweet and truly funny, and I really resonate with a heroine with freckles and complicated emotions. I loved it.

[Rachel Holtzclaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

phoebe seems to have summer vacation five times a year and i love that for her!

[Victoria Estrelinha ⭐ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gostei do livro o livro fala de acampar mas não é o meu favorito 🙂

[Jimin'sRamenNoodles (Jinlo) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm disgusted by you, Dana Simpson.

How dare you compare this worthless piece of filth to 'Calvin And Hobbes', the name that shouldn't even be used from your mouth. I would've gave you and your ridiculous book a chance, but the forward I saw in one of your books made me want to rip it into a thousand pieces and use it to wipe my dogs butt. I hate this book with a BURNING PASSION.

Bill Watterson will be better then you and your stupid, useless vector art pictures will ever be.
Calvin and Hobbes is a breathtakingly unique concept, a book that is treasured for the love, humor, worry, passion and sadness spilled into the pages. His book is genius, and if I could read one thing for the rest of my life, it would be that. Your art is messy and you REUSE THE SAME PANEL OVER AND OVER like we're all too stupid to notice.

Not only do you compare, but you say you're book is BETTER, and Calvin and Hobbes is boring.

And yet here you are, sitting and your trashy high and mighty throne, using and pushing down other authors to lift yourself up.
I wish to never set sight on another one of these books again.

Grow up, Dana Simpson.
And while you're at it, keep the name Bill Watterson out of your immature mouth.

(As for this review, you are JUST the type to be sneaking on Goodreads and acting like you aren't reading your own reviews- Yet here you are. Hopefully this well help you GET A CLUE.)

[Mary Havens · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a minute to get used to the style of comic strip versus a larger narrative but once I got used to it, I enjoyed it. I love Unicorn's take on the world :)
I'm interested in reading more but kind of a "sure, if it's there." I think it will be helpful and start at the beginning, or as close to the beginning as I can.
This series is one of Juliette's favorites so there will be more Phoebe and Her Unicorn in the future (I think Unicorn would debate the "Her Unicorn" aspect of this subtitle).

[britt_brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another cute volume! This was a quick, fun distraction from all the stuff. This series makes me feel close to my niece, who will soon turn 10.

Planning to use “Click n Ship” to send it to her soon. No way I’m going to a post office.

[Sharlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely what I needed as a breather from all this crap going on. Reliably adorable and fun

[Becky McGregor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy these books I like how they add the tough vocabulary into the book. I read these with my kids in a play like form. I am a huge fan of this series. I feel this books was great but not as funny as a few of the other's in this series I have read. I enjoyed the seasons and different plot lines in the book. Dakota and the goblins are a favorite of mine also. They now have a glossary of the really tough words in the back of the books so this helps to go over before you read it.

[Eve beinguniquebeingme · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this next Phoebe and her unicorn book, she becomes friendlier with frenemy Dakota as summer arrives they hang out at the pool and head off camping too with her other friend. As they tackle card and video game playing, enjoy the school holidays together and all with doses of humour and sarcasm as usual throughout the story!



Another fabulous adventure making me wish unicorns were real in all vibrant scenes!



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

[Freyja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was funny that they found out that unicorns play video games out in the wilderness using plants.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Phoebe and her Unicorn series is just adorable. I’ve read them all and would have loved so much to have had this series when I was younger. As someone who loves camping, I was really excited to read this one and I was not disappointed. Phoebe and Marigold have lots of fun together and this title has their usual silly humor I find hilarious.
Thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel for this advanced copy.

[orangerful · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid entry in this series, lots of laugh out loud moments.

[Shouty · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE WAY I’M AT THE EDGE OF MY SEAT TO SEE IF PHOEBE AND DAKOTA MIGHT MOVE BEYOND FRENEMIES, I —

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Camping with Unicorns, Marigold remarks that “when unicorns win, everyone wins.” In my humble opinion, when a new Phoebe and Her Unicorn book releases everyone wins! If you haven’t already enjoyed the Calvin and Hobbes-esque world of Phoebe and Marigold, get ready for parents who speak dork as a native dialect, goblins who make a princess out of her best frenemy, Dakota, the perils of geekdom in middle school, and a host of magical creatures that liven everything up. Dragons vomit candy. Slap bracelets make a comeback. Video games are spawned from vegetation. Despite the dragons and goblins, childhood is depicted authentically – and it’s great fun. For young readers, a glossary is included. And best of all, if you’re new to Phoebe, there’s a whole pile of books in front of this one (though you can enjoy any volume by itself). If this isn’t your first Phoebe book, it’s still a good time to read back through this delightful series before diving into Camping with Unicorns!

[Jenn Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 11th book in the Phoebe and her Unicorn series. Dakota and Phoebe are moving on from their past. "Rebooting" their friendship. We are spending the summer with Phoebe as she tries to learn how not to embarrass Dakota.

Dana Simpson is the master of one liners. She is so funny. The art is adorable and the book is filled with wonderful gems like Al, the unicorn who spends his time in the woods playing video games.

I know my students will love this title as much as I did.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good entry in the series

In general a lot of often clever fun, creative surprises and poetic feeling. I hope there’s a lot more of this series.

[Kenya Starflight · Rating 5 out of 5]

So long as Dana Simpson keeps publishing the "Phoebe and Her Unicorn" books, I'm going to keep reading them. They're a delightful series, and remind me of one of my favorite comic strips of all time, Bill Watterson's "Calvin and Hobbes." And "Camping with Unicorns" is full of the same fun and delightful adventures... and the added bonus of giving us some character development as the series has progressed.

Summer vacation has started, and Phoebe has a feeling this isn't going to be an ordinary summer, even by her standards. And she's right -- her rival and "frenemy," Dakota, actually wants to try to befriend her this summer! Can Phoebe master the art of being sorta cool so as not to embarrass Dakota in front of her other friends? And what will happen when her family and Max's family go camping together and run into a gamer unicorn in the forest? Or when Todd the Candy Dragon gets tired of being treated like a living candy dispenser? Find out all this and more in this volume.

Dana Simpson's artwork is delightful as always, reminiscent of "Calvin and Hobbes" but with its own unique style. It features clean artwork and a sleek yet adorable art style. Also, I appreciate that Simpson makes an effort to give every character unique features and to change up their clothing every so often -- just look at "Peanuts" or "Calvin and Hobbes" and notice how a lot of the characters look alike and never seem to own more than one change of clothes... The panel layout is fairly simple, but given that this is a compilation of newspaper strips, that's understandable.

Being adapted from a newspaper comic, stories are fairly episodic and divided into four-panel gags (save the longer Sunday strips). But Simpson still manages to carry on story arcs and even manage some character development along the way. It's actually rather satisfying to see Dakota evolve as a character instead of being a stock villain for the series, and it's nice seeing how Phoebe and Marigold have evolved as well. Sure, their basic character traits have remained the same, but their friendship has developed by this point and they've had time to adapt to each others' weirdness... though that doesn't necessarily mean the reader knows what to expect all the time from a friendship between a little girl and a unicorn.

On a side note... do I detect just a little bit of shade thrown at the "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strips during the camping-trip arc? Or is that just me? It's not an insulting or disrespectful jab, but it's amusing all the same to see Phoebe and her father discuss the real meaning behind the term "it builds character," a phrase that frequently came up in "Calvin and Hobbes" (especially during that strip's camping-trip arcs).

"Phoebe and Her Unicorn" ranks among my favorite comic strips of all time, not far behind "Calvin and Hobbes" and "The Far Side." And "Camping With Unicorns" is a delightful continuation of the series. Great not just for kids, but for adults and fans of Bill Watterson's work.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Camping with Unicorns' by Dana Simpson is the 11th collection of cartoons about a young girl and her vain but friendly unicorn.

School is out, which means Phoebe is free to play with her unicorn friend, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils. She also has time to ponder the new events with her frenemy Dakota. There is camping to do, and we learn that unicorn horns are good for roasting marshmallows and apples. Dakota is adjusting to being queen of the goblins. Phoebe learns that unicorn money can't be used to buy ice cream. All too soon, summer is over and Phoebe heads back to school.

I've enjoyed every one of these collections I've read. The humor has stayed fresh and the characters are fun to read about. The art is consistently fun to look at.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

[Raven Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Once again, Simpson has FAILED... to disappoint! This book is as incredible as the first, better even, 11 books in and I am still a huge fan! We are getting the same excellent introduction to new vocabulary words, fun artwork, vibrant coloring, and an incredibly witty school year with Phoebe! I really feel like Simpson could make another 50 of these and still have an amazing adventure each and every time. The adult in me wants to see what phoebe grows into, but the kid in me wants phoebe to be available to all kids as long as their are kids! Outstanding work, I can’t wait to reopen the library so we can have our physical copy and I can share, share, share!

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of comic adventures with Phoebe and Marigold Heavenly Nostrils.

Another great collection of Phoebe and Her Unicorn comics. I particularly liked the series on how old Marigold is and the Unicorn version of haunted houses. Phoebe and Marigold fans will not be disappointed, and those who haven’t met them before are in for a treat. This is an automatic order for our libraries. The students would probably riot if we didn’t have all the Phoebe and Her Unicorn books available.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Phoebe and Her Unicorn book is more fun and delightful than the last. You can feel how much Dana Simpson loves her characters, and enjoys putting them in different scenarios. Who else would think to put a unicorn in a tire swing and find out what happens?

In this installment, Phoebe even gains a touch of maturity and makes tentative amends with her archnemesis, Dakota. Considering they are both friends with magical creatures, it only makes sense. From fashion choices to walking on the ceiling, there's everything to love about this book and this series.