UNICORNS 101

A tongue-in-cheek field guide to the unicorn (“scientific name: Betterthan horsicus”).

Cartoon-style cover art borders on the garish, with a riot of bright colors embellished with glitter, in its depictions of some of the unicorn characters that populate the text. On the first spread readers meet “the top unicorn scientists working today,” namely Professor Glitter Pants, Professor Sprinkle Steed, Professor Star Hoof, and Professor Sugar Beard. A “trusty lab assistant, Pete,” also makes an appearance, but despite the flashy introduction, none of these characters emerges with a distinct personality or storyline. Instead, they guide readers through the book’s contents, which do not cover traditional unicorn lore but are divided into 10 brief, expository sections with titles such as “The Horn of the Corn,” “Diet and Digestion,” “Social Behaviors,” and “Graduation Ceremony.” That final section is metafictively devoted to praising readers and giving them a certificate for learning unicorn facts detailed on the prior pages, such as: A unicorn’s mane “smells of cinnamon”; their horns are made of “50% magic, 45% mystery, and 5% sugar”; they “poop cupcakes. Yes. Cupcakes”; and they solve disagreements with “the ancient ritual of the dance-off.” In design and palette, the illustrations resemble a video game arcade rather than a stodgy textbook; in other words, they suit the contents perfectly.

There’s not a whit of substance to it, but unicorn fans will find plenty to love