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MARGARET’S UNICORN

Name: MARGARET’S UNICORN
Author: Briony May Smith
ISBN: 978-1-984896-53-7

by Briony May Smith ; illustrated by Briony May Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 2020

Unicorns are popular among young readers, and this offering will satisfy.

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Imagine what it would be like to find a mythical creature.

Young Margaret doesn’t have to imagine. After she and her parents move to a mountain cottage, she explores her new surroundings. Walking back, she discovers a baby unicorn tangled in weeds and carries it home. Margaret nurtures the lovely creature, assuring it of its herd’s spring return. Seasons change, nature blossoms, and girl and animal enjoy delightful activities. The two benefit each other: The unicorn thrives under his guardian’s tender care; Margaret’s life grows happier and less lonely. The unicorn acclimates to his human and cozy domesticity; Margaret misses her old home less. Inevitability prevails, though. Spring returns and with it, the unicorn’s mother; they depart, a bittersweet scenario. Sometime later, while playing with a new friend, Margaret is astonished when her unicorn, now grown, returns briefly, then disappears; Margaret takes this well. Children with a taste for the fantasy world who wish for magical encounters should enjoy this sweet, gently told story with an old-fashioned feel. The transience of magic is implied in Margaret’s understanding and acceptance of the unicorn’s comings and goings. Colorful, atmospheric illustrations enliven the country settings and serve the natural world and shifting seasons well; Margaret and the unicorn’s relationship is charmingly depicted. Margaret and her family present white; her new pal has brown skin. The baby unicorn is dappled.

Unicorns are popular among young readers, and this offering will satisfy. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-984896-53-7

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: June 2, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S DRAGONS & MYTHICAL CREATURES | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
TINY JENNY
by Briony May Smith ; illustrated by Briony May Smith

- BOOK REVIEW
THE LITTLE BOOKS OF THE LITTLE BRONTËS
by Sara O'Leary ; illustrated by Briony May Smith

- BOOK REVIEW
A PRACTICAL PRESENT FOR PHILIPPA PHEASANT
by Briony May Smith ; illustrated by Briony May Smith

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)