Uni the Unicorn

by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Brigette Barrager (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A fantastic role flip story, where a unicorn is alone in believing that little girls are real. It’s charming, magical and perfect for young readers, particularly those who believe in magic.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal's New York Times bestselling picture book about a unicorn who believes that little girls are REAL is perfect for anyone interested in stories of friendship, unicorns, and the power of believing!
 
Uni the unicorn is told there’s no such thing as little girls! But no matter what the grown-up unicorns say, Uni believes that little girls are REAL. Somewhere there must be a smart, strong, wonderful, magical little girl waiting to be best friends. In fact, far away (but not too far away), a real little girl believes there is a unicorn waiting for her, too.

This magical story of friendship from the bestselling author of I Wish You More is perfect for Easter and spring-time reading. It reminds believers and nonbelievers alike that sometimes wishes really can come true.

Don't miss the sequel, Uni the Unicorn and the Dream Come True!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780385375559
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	08/26/2014
Series:	Uni the Unicorn Series
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	108,113
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD640L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

AMY KROUSE ROSENTHAL is a real girl who writes books for children (such as That's Me Loving You, On the Spot, and Uni the Unicorn, or course) and for grown-ups (Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life). She lives in Chicago for real, and digitally at whoisamy.com.

BRIGETTE BARRAGER is an artist, designer, and illustrator and writer of children's books. She spent some time at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios before taking the plunge into freelance illustration, where she's lived happily ever after. She resides in Los Angeles with her handsome husband, cute doggy, and terrible cat. Visit Brigette at brigetteb.com.

Editorial Reviews

…Rosenthal brings freshness and a certain dignity to the connection between girls and unicorns, along the way capturing the emotional weather of many an intense, long-waited-for friendship.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

05/19/2014
While the spirit of Mary Blair, vintage Golden Books, and 1960s animation influences many contemporary picture books, Barrager (Twelve Dancing Princesses) embraces it fully in this collaboration with Rosenthal (Exclamation Mark). Like her fellow unicorns, Uni is magical and magnificent; she has a luxuriant magenta mane, golden hooves, and violet eyes that don’t just sparkle—they basically are sparkles. Where Uni differs from her peers is in her belief that little girls are real, that “a strong smart wonderful magical little girl” is out there waiting to be her best friend. In a series of single-page vignettes, Barrager shows Uni and a blonde, blue eyed human girl dashing through fields of flowers, healing forest animals with Uni’s magical horn, and sailing past birds and clouds as they slide down a rainbow. The throwback illustration style, absence of tech (save for a nightlight and record player), and emphasis on clinging to beliefs that the world dismisses as fantasy combine to create a story that encourages kids to stay kids as long as possible. Ages 3–7. Author’s agent: Amy Rennert, the Amy Rennert Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Vicki Willden-Lebrecht, the Bright Group. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

From School Library Journal
PreS-K—In this delightfully entertaining story, children are transported to a land in which unicorns are the norm and little girls are believed to be mythical creatures. Uni is like all the other unicorns in so many ways. She had a swirly horn, a magnificent mane, and the magical ability to make wishes come true. "But there was one thing that definitely set Uni apart. Uni believed that little girls were REAL." Despite being laughed at and dismissed for her beliefs, she dreams of what friendship with a human girl would be like. The book features Rosenthal's familiar mix of humor and wit, making this book ideal for reading out loud or independently. Barrager's illustrations offer full page spreads of whimsical, dreamlike images that will make every reader want to believe in unicorns (or little girls). This book will be read, treasured, and loved by young dreamers.—Megan Egbert, Meridian Library District,

Displaying a magnificent mane, golden hooves, sparkling purple eyes, and a powerful swirly horn, Uni believes that not only are little girls real but a special one will form a magical friendship with her. And somewhere, a little girl is equally certain that unicorns are real and that a very particular one is waiting to be her companion. Joyful illustrations in brilliant color capture the dreams of the two, as they spin and twirl, explore the forest, and slide down a rainbow together. Line drawings of an active youngster are set inside an outline shaped like Uni’s head. Although usually portrayed with sweet faces, the dismay each shows when their elders tell them their thinking is only make-believe humorously reinforces their determination to find each other. And friendship triumphs as the two delightedly ride off together. Pair with Robert Heidbreder’s I Wished for a Unicorn (2000) and B. G. Hennessy’s Claire and the Unicorn Happy Ever After (2010), for other happy twosomes.
— Lolly Gepson


While the spirit of Mary Blair, vintage Golden Books, and 1960s animation influences many contemporary picture books, Barrager (Twelve Dancing Princesses) embraces it fully in this collaboration with Rosenthal (Exclamation Mark). Like her fellow unicorns, Uni is magical and magnificent; she has a luxuriant magenta mane, golden hooves, and violet eyes that don’t just sparkle—they basically are sparkles. Where Uni differs from her peers is in her belief that little girls are real, that “a strong smart wonderful magical little girl” is out there waiting to be her best friend. In a series of single-page vignettes, Barrager shows Uni and a blonde, blue eyed human girl dashing through fields of flowers, healing forest animals with Uni’s magical horn, and sailing past birds and clouds as they slide down a rainbow. The throwback illustration style, absence of tech (save for a nightlight and record player), and emphasis on clinging to beliefs that the world dismisses as fantasy combine to create a story that encourages kids to stay kids as long as possible. Ages 3–7.Author’s agent: Amy Rennert, the Amy Rennert Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Vicki Willden-Lebrecht, the Bright Group. (Sept.)

 

From the Publisher

2014-06-04
Uni the unicorn is like all other unicorns in every way but one.Uni has a flowing magenta mane, sparkly, golden hooves, and of course, a long, swirly horn that has the power to heal. But there’s one thing that’s different. Uni pores over fairy tales, staring longingly at the princesses found within the pages. No matter what Uni’s friends and family say, Uni believes, truly believes, that little girls must be real. Rosenthal, no stranger to turning convention on its head (for instance, her tiny green protagonist who hates to eat candy for dinner in Little Pea, illustrated by Jen Corace, 2005), delves into the role-reversalplot twist, but what results is simply a strong case for friendship. Uni imagines running, twirling and sitting quietly with a real little girl, and “somewhere far away (but not that far away),” there is a little girl who is wishing and dreaming the very same thing. Barrager’s Disney-animation background shines through in wide, innocent eyes and a lush, candy-colored palette. There are certainly little-girl readers who believe in unicorns just as much as Uni believes in them, and this will feed their dreaming spirits. But the deep desire for friendship has universal appeal.A tiny slip of magic that suggests equal quantities of conviction and possibility. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews