[alert variation=”alert-info”]Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Kindle
Purchase: Powell’s | Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | iBooks[/alert]
Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s Uni the Unicorn offers an unexpected twist in the make-believe realm. Uni, a young unicorn with an active imagination, believes little girls must really exist and she fantasizes about one day making friends with a real live girl. The colorful and whimsical illustrations by Brigette Barrager show Uni daydreaming alongside storybooks that feature little girls, which Uni takes as proof they exist even when Uni’s friends and family try to sway her belief.
“…Uni was certain, absolutely certain, that little girls were real, no matter what everyone else said.”
Uni the Unicorn is aimed at beginning readers and story time listeners. The language and illustrations work together to encourage creativity and celebrate uniqueness. This is as much a story about embracing imagination as it is in embracing the quest for friendship as Uni seeks someone special to connect with, as does the little girl introduced near the end that dreams of finding a unicorn to call a friend.
The little girl and Uni never meet on the page, thus leaving their fate to the reader’s imagination. It would have been a nice addition to see these two characters see validation in their beliefs that one another exists, yet there is something to be said for the uncertainty and encouraging a little faith in finding friendships.
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