Children's Books discussion

Whether you think unicorns should look like horses or goats, or something in between, this month the Miscellaneous Club is all about the one-horned beasties, in fiction or in folkore.

Phoebe and Her Unicorn


This is the first in a series of 19 (so far) comic books about 4th-grader Phoebe, who meets and befriends a unicorn, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils. Marigold thinks quite a lot of herself, and is always admiring herself in a mirror. However, she is kind and friendly to Phoebe, and has no problem with Phoebe riding on her back. This is a very funny series, and throughout, Phoebe meets all kinds of magical creatures, from small dragons, to goblins, and many other unicorns.
One of my favorite scenes from one of the books (I don't remember which one) is when Phoebe's dad explains to Phoebe what the dark days before the internet were like: "it was very difficult to waste time watching videos of cats."

By Abby Colich Unicorns (Mythical Creatures) Paperback


This introduction to all kinds of unicorns in folk lore is very easy to read, for early elementary students, with basic information.

Unicorns


A good compilation of unicorn folklore accompanied by appealing black and white sketches.

Here There Be Unicorns


Excellent anthology with great selection of stories and poems. Very appealing illustrations.

Beverly wrote: "Here There Be Unicorns

Excellent anthology with great selection of stories and poems. Very appealing illustrations."

Maybe it's because I'm not a big fan of unicorns, but I actually gave this only two stars.

There's also the classic The Little White Horse, which lots of people love, and which I liked enough to round up to four stars.

There's a plethora of picture books about unicorns right now. They stand in for kids who feel different or wish they were special. They're also often subtly LGBTQ+ friendly, what with rainbows etc.

Bob is a Unicorn got 4* from me, and is avl. as archived on openlibrary.org.

Never Touch a Grumpy Unicorn! is a tactile board book I found at my local, very conservative, library. In my 4* review I said 'This 4-spread tactile board book is so nifty. Unicorn is tired of being pretty and wants her strength praised, instead. My favorite theme, Another Point of View, fits, as well as Judge People as Individuals, not stereotypes.'

The classic for older readers is The Last Unicorn. I especially loved the graphic novel; it made the fantastical/mythological elements more comprehensible to me.

A First Look at Unicorns


Textually, this is a super simple book for the youngest unicorn admirers, who are learning to read. But it does cover horse-style unicorns, goat-style unicorns, rhinos, and narwhals. A mix of photos and paintings make up the illustrations. Back matter includes a brief bibliography and index.

The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn


This is a newly published picture book. In this humorous story, the pink and black teeny-weeny unicorn is about the size of a Chihuahua next to his royal brother and sister. One day, he is so miffed by being told he is too little to do certain things, he takes off galloping into the grass and gets lost. There he meets a gnome. In the gnome's perspective, the teeny-weeny unicorn is colossal, and has stepped on and ruined her car. The rather fuzzy/blurry illustrations were rendered in chalk pastels. Highly recommended.

I'm not a unicorn girl but I loved Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn: A Picture Book

There's a series of them now and no there's no hidden "agenda" or meaning. It's just a kitty who feels like a unicorn. She finds a horn somewhere and viola! She's a unicorn! There's also a unicorn who feels like a kitty! It's very, very cute!

Manybooks wrote: "Rita, please follow the group rules which state that you are only allowed to post about your own work in the author/promotional section. I had to thus delete your post but you are welcome to repost..."

Apologies!

Unicorns


This book is also aimed at early elementary students. Illustrated with photos, drawings, and paintings, it gives brief information on unicorn folklore and also mentions quilins, edinorogs, monoceroses, and Ctesias unicorns. The book ends with a glossary, short bibliography, and index.

Unicorns


This book for elementary aged children has more humor than others I have read. In his explanation of what a field guide is, the author states: "Unicorn "experts" tend to be a mixed bag of medieval historians, glitter enthusiasts, and overexcited children." He lists items helpful in the search for a unicorn: curry comb, fair maiden, hay, and lasso. He compares classical unicorns with modern day plushies. He points out animals commonly mistaken for unicorns: narwhals, rhinos, Pegasus, and cats with unicorn horns tied to their heads. Other interesting information includes an actual deer with one antler growing straight up from the top of its head (not its forehead, however); and the fact that some rhinos are endangered and should be protected. The book is illustrated with photos and drawings, and includes an index. Overall, this was a fun book to read on the subject.

Unicorns


This short and simple book for young elementary students covers basic information on unicorns and compares European unicorns with Asian and Southern unicorns. It ends with a glossary and a brief bibliography.

Unicorns


This oversized book is aimed at early elementary grades, with very simple text and very large font size. It covers basic information about various unicorns; includes narwhals and rhinos; and includes one short story. It is illustrated with photos, paintings, and drawings. It ends with a brief bibliography and index.

I read I'm a Unicorn at the library today and quite liked it. I'm not sure what message it sends to kids, but at least the 'real' unicorns were kind and supportive. I gave it four stars.

The Secret Lives of Unicorns


This mixture of folklore and fiction is narrated by Seraphini, pen name of Sangma Francis, who calls herself a unicornologist. She describes unicorns and their magical properties, as well as six species of unicorns: Mountain, Volcanic, Moorland, Desert, Northwood, and Winged. The six species live in different habitats scattered across the planet. She also discusses unicorns in legend and other "famous" unicornologists. This is a fun book with very nice illustrations.

For Unicorn Lovers Only: History, Mythology, Facts, and More


An interesting chapter book aimed at upper elementary and middle school students (mostly female). The author covers the history of unicorns, unicorns in pop culture, unicorn legends, other mythological creatures, tracking and catching unicorns, and suggestions for braids, crafts, and edible muffins. The author includes a bibliography of nonfiction and fiction books, websites, and films. Includes an index. Katie O'Neill has decorated the pages with illustrations in greens and black. For the student who wants to learn more about unicorns.

Nico Bravo and the Hound of Hades


This graphic novel mashes together several different world mythologies, including Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Sumerian, Norse, and more. It welds adventure with humor (after all, Cerberus has a bulldog head, a pink poodle head, and a Chihuahua head!). While Nico (a human boy) is trying to prevent an overeager Eowulf (descendant of Beowulf) from slaughtering Cerberus, his friend Buck, the unicorn with a crooked horn finds himself wandering around in an alternate dimension. The cartoon illustrations are full of color, sometimes garish color. A treat for readers who like this kind of parody.

Beverly wrote: "Nico Bravo and the Hound of Hades


This graphic novel mashes together several different world mythologies, including Greek, Ro..."

Wow, this looks great, thanks.

A few great unicorn books we've read in recent years:

Picture book: Margaret's Unicorn

Elementary Chapter Book: Unicorns and Germs (Part of Zoey and Sassafras series; great STEM books!)

Middle Grade: Pip Bartlett's Guide to Unicorn Training

Brave Jack and the Unicorn

Janet McNaughton's Brave Jack and the Unicorn is an original Canadian, or more to the point Newfoundland inspired fairy tale (but one most certainly very much reliant on both Newfoundland and European folkloric themes and elements), and both the author's presented, imagined, constructed narrative and Susan Tooke's accompanying illustrations are indeed magical and evocative. And while as rather a folklore purist at best, I was (at first) more than a bit leery of this here tale, as I was worried that Brave Jack and the Unicorn would perhaps be labelled as a traditional folktale when it clearly is not one, but a constructed original offering, the author thankfully never does claim Brave Jack and the Unicorn to be a traditional folktale, as she always states that it is, indeed, an original, a composed Kunstmärchen like work, albeit one based on traditional folk themes and motifs (which are also for the most part and to my delight acknowledged by Janet McNaughton in her author's notes and explanations).

Now truth be told, Janet McNaughton has done a simply wonderful job combining diverse folkloric elements and threads into an excitingly entertaining original story, with actually surprisingly little violence and eeriness (making Brave Jack and the Unicorn also very much suitable for reading with and to sensitive children who might find some of the more traditional hero quest types of folktales too potentially frightening). And while by themselves, I would probably consider Susan Tooke's accompanying pictures a trifle to brightly gaudy and garish for my personal aesthetic tastes, in combination with the author's text, they are sweetly expressive, colourfully bold and really quite magical (most certainly capturing the atmosphere of place, of Newfoundland, with intriguing and geographically authentic little added touches, such as passing icebergs and the harbours dotted with fishing boats).

Personally, the only minor little issue that prevents me from ranking Brave Jack and the Unicorn with five instead of four stars is that I kind of do wish a bit that Janet McNaughton had managed to be a trifle more detailed with certain parts of her otherwise excellent author's note. For while (as already alluded to), she has indeed and much appreciatively stated from where and from which traditions, in general, she has obtained the traditions and ideas for Brave Jack and the Unicorn, I for one and most certainly would have also liked for her to have listed the actual and particular specific tales of which she had made use, and from which she had incorporated themes and ideas into her narrative, into the textual part of Brave Jack and the Unicorn. However, please do note that this is truly just my scholarly self talking, and it does in no way detract any from the beauty of the story itself, and from the fact that Brave Jack and the Unicorn presents a delightful and in all things wondrous marriage of text and images.

The Dragon and the Unicorn

Lynne Cherrys The Dragon and the Unicorn is really rather too heavy-handed with regard to its environmental message (often reading more like an infomative but dry lecture on environmental protection than the original environmentally themed fairy tale it is supposed to be). And while I appreciate and wholeheartedly support the message of environmental responsibility demonstrated (and truly love the luminous and lushly descriptive accompanying illustrations), that very same message could be and should be a bit more elegantly and subtly presented (if I want to read an environmental lecture, I will read a non fiction book on the same, as with a fairy tale, as with fiction, I primarily desire a story, and any ulterior messages should be a bit hidden and not so in one's proverbial face). Also, I do NOT at all appreciate that the dragon and the unicorn actively seem to lure and entice the little girl into the forest (as it feels somewhat like a child being abducted). It would be far less creepy and uncanny, if Arianna were to venture into the forest by herself and then get rescued by the dragon and the unicorn (the same environmental message could be presented, but without the for me almost inappropriate child-luring aspect). Maybe I am being a bit harsh here, but that whole sequence of events feels unnerving, and in fact, rather majorly frightening.

I also have to wonder and question why Lynne Cherry has Arianna eating wild asparagus and wild carrots in the forest. Yes, they are considered delicacies by avid naturalists and foragers, but wild carrots especially look so confusingly similar to the extremely toxic (and often lethal if ingested) water and poison hemlock, that even in field guides which actively promote and encourage wild gathering, it is generally mentioned that wild carrots should ONLY ever be harvested and consumed by experts, by those who know what they are doing and can distinguish wild carrots from lethally toxic look-alikes (not to mention that touching wild carrot plants can also cause severe photo-sensitivity in some people). I truly think it would be much safer for Arianna to be eating wild berries and other less potentially problematic plants (as you most certainly do not want a child trying to collect and consume wild carrots in the forest).

The Little White Horse


This book is sooo much better than the 2008 movie entitled "Moonacre" which was based on this book. I was enchanted by this old-fashioned story about family, friends, and righting past wrongs. The characters were intriguing, the plot was absorbing, the setting was enchanting, and the animals were adorable. My only problem with the story was that there was not enough unicorn action in it! However, I still loved the story.